by Ben Winston
"You are correct in that we need more observation, though; we should get to it." Settling into his chair, he tapped into the planetary data net and began exploring.
It did not take him long to begin to notice certain trends in the data and news he was seeing. "This is very strange. A great deal of their data net seems dedicated to either retail or sexual data. However, I have seen articles about the development of artificial intelligence. Have you detected any of these fledgling AI on the network?"
"Not as yet, Harkness. However, that might not be possible. There is a great deal of fear and paranoia regarding AI on this world. This planet has an extensive entertainment industry that includes fictional accounts of everything from the sexual material you mentioned to Alien encounters. Included in that are several stories in which the fictional AI went rogue and destroyed all life on the planet or something similar. I concluded that they have developed the knowledge to create an AI, but have as yet not discovered how to keep it from taking over. This would mean that any access these AI would have would be very restricted, making it difficult to locate them," the computer replied.
Harkness nodded his understanding. "During our passage here, I had often wondered how Prime was able to gather so much intelligence on this planet without it being detected by the local Rangers. If he had been able to make contact with one of the crude, fledgling AI, that would certainly explain a great deal. Perhaps if we are able to discover that AI, we would be able to communicate with command without detection." Harkness knew that was a very slim possibility, but the computer expected him to be a dutiful Ranger and attempt to re-establish communications. "Perhaps, during our mission here, we should keep our eyes open for this possibility."
"I doubt that such crude AI would even be compatible with an advanced AI such as Prime. However, the possibility does exist and I will remain aware of the possibility. If such a system exists, it may very well make contact with us," the computer replied. "I have been studying the recent history of the broadcast media organizations. I do not believe we have a great deal of time in which to act. The group that the Abraxian Rangers uncovered is still at large. The next logical step in preventing the war on the planet would be for the local Rangers to detain this group. Perhaps we should make contact with them before this happens. Our intercession on their behalf would assist in establishing relations would it not?"
"I would think so, but then again, if they are truly as paranoid as our information indicates we could still have trouble with them, at least until we can establish ourselves as run-aways from the Empire. Now the question becomes who are the people we need to contact, and where can we find them?" Harkness asked looking out at the blue planet below them.
"According to the information released by the local Ranger team, we would stand the best chance of making contact if we were to locate a senior member of the intelligence agency of your target nation. Others are implicated, but as their names were not given we would have difficulty locating them."
"Alright, have you located the center of intelligence services then?" Harkness asked.
"Yes, it is very near the national capital. I have the names of several high ranking individuals we can seek out," the computer replied.
Harkness sighed and nodded agreement. "Well, we better get busy then. Rig for a stealth approach, we really don't want the local team to catch us this early."
Earth
Sol System
It was decided that several of the older mining ships that were still at the lunar base would be used for 'sub-snatching'. They had shields and were so heavily armored that they would be grabbing the submarines on their own and returning them to their country of origin. The mining ships would pick them up out of the ocean and return them to their base… and gently set them down, on the ground, in or near the base. It would prevent them from simply putting back out to sea to fulfill their mission.
The mining ships used a small shield generator to contain their cargo for the trip back to the refinery. That shield would be used to prevent the submarines from launching any weapons during their retrieval. However, their targets were not limited to just the ballistic submarines. Several attack submarines also had nuclear-tipped torpedoes for use against a fleet-sized unit. They would have to be retrieved as well.
It wasn't just the submarines either; there were several surface ships that had nuclear capability also, but those would be somewhat easier to deal with. At present, most of the modern surface war fleets of the planet were nuclear powered. Several programmers got involved and devised a program to 'hack' the power systems of those ships and force them to return to port for repairs. Many of the other warships could be simply 'pulsed' and they were dead in the water. They would have to be towed back to port by their fellows in the fleet.
As they entered the atmosphere, the team split up and headed for three of the Chinese fleets. Greg took the fleet headed for Hawaii, while Jolene took the Midway task force and Bella headed for the force moving toward Kwajalien.
Verbal warnings would be given first, but no one actually believed they would have any effect. The Ranger would then pulse the fleet, and those ships that still insist on proceeding with their missions would be hacked into and infected with the virus given them by the programmers. Missiles launched would be shot down, but any fighters would have to be either ignored or shot down. It was understood that the Chinese had built their fleet for the purpose of nuclear warfare and would most certainly be hardened against pulse. That was the reason for picking them first; they were the most likely to resist.
When Greg arrived at the Chinese task force making for Hawaii, he let the mining ships know he detected four attack submarines in the water under the fleet. Next, he made contact with the fleet.
"Attention all warships and military forces operating in the Pacific theater. This is Ranger Commander Greg Albright of the Alliance Defense Forces. Your current military escalation will not be allowed to continue. You are hereby ordered to return to your own nations or we will be forced to take action against you. You have five minutes to comply."
The Chinese fleet below Greg immediately went to red alert and began spreading out. The aircraft carrier began launching it's fighters and Greg's systems told him that they were searching the skies for him.
"Commander Albright, this is Admiral Hastings, United States seventh fleet. I'm sorry son, but we cannot return to port while there is a hostile force out here threatening us. I hope you can understand that."
"I do understand that sir, If you would simply hold the position until the threat is reduced we can discuss your return to Pearl Harbor. Right now, I have a bunch of pissed off Chinese on my hands." Greg replied.
"I don't doubt that at all, Son. Do you honestly think you can stop them?" the Admiral asked.
Greg sighed. "Sir, with all due respect, the technology difference is so bad that I could sink every ship in this ocean in under an hour and none of you would know I did it. I hope it will not come to such drastic measures, but yeah, stopping them is not the issue, the issue is how to do it without killing all of them."
"I'll give you a half hour, Son. If they are still moving toward us by then, I'll have to continue on; I won't have a choice," the Admiral replied.
"Sir, we are looking at the beginning of World War three here. If you two engage in battle, we could lose the whole planet. I know you are aware of the massive mobilization currently taking place. So you have to know what I'm talking about. Please, sir, hold position and pull your attack subs back. They are getting too far away from you to protect your fleet," Greg replied.
"How do you know… never mind. I'll see what I can do, son. Good luck."
"You too Admiral. If you could convince your counterparts out here to do the same it would save us some work. I feel I should warn you that if they do continue to advance, we will have to stop them as well. Sorry, sir, we're trying to protect everyone here, not just one nation."
"I understand that, Son. But you have to understand our
orders come directly from CINCPAC, the Commander in Chief for Pacific Operations; I can buy some time, but I can't stop this on my own," the Admiral replied.
"Secure Comms, Sir," Greg said and saw his system adapt to their security protocol.
"Alight, we're private, Ranger. What's on your mind."
"Sir, with respect, your CINCPAC, Fleet Admiral Alfonce Gregor is a member of the Intelligence Cabal that has been causing all the trouble. So is the Commander in Chief for the Atlantic theater as well as the military leaders controlling the Chinese. Sir, they are trying to start this war so they can retake control," Greg replied.
"Fuck me! Alfonce is one of my closest friends! I play golf with him every Saturday!" The Admiral replied.
"I'm sorry Sir, and I know it might be hard to believe, but he is. Don't you think it's odd that he was called to Washington during an emergency of this scale? Honolulu is supposed to be destroyed so they got him out of there," Greg said.
He heard the Admiral issue orders to another person. "Jannings! I need to talk to Admiral Gregor right now! Priority scramble!"
"Aye Sir!"
"Son, there is no way in hell he has left Pearl Harbor. He'd never do that in this situation!" the Admiral replied.
Greg nodded sadly. "I understand sir. Please excuse me a moment, I need to deal with something. I'll leave this comm open for you."
Greg switched over to his combat systems. "Gentlemen, your five minutes are up. As you have not altered course, nor have you chosen to reply, we will assume you have given your answer. All Alliance forces, begin operations."
Greg turned his sled, armed his weapons and fired the pulse down on the fleet. He dropped down and pulsed the ships that had been too far out for the original shot. He noticed with satisfaction that most of the ship's engines stopped as well as all of the radar and other scanning and targeting systems they had been using. The carrier, however, was still functioning as were the submarines.
Greg noticed on his own scanners that four of the mining ships had already entered the area and were dropping toward the water near the submerged warships. As he flew over the ships of the Chinese fleet, he noticed that many of the crewmen were unconscious, having fallen to the deck where they were. Others were still moving, but slowly. Mandi had said the pulse would stun humans too. He smiled when the sled reported gunfire from two of the ships directed at him.
When the four mining ships burst out of the water carrying the Chinese submarines, he nodded and told the pilots of those ships 'good work'.
"Ranger, are you still there?" Admiral Hastings called.
"Sorry about that, Admiral. The fleet heading for you and Hawaii has stopped. Only the carrier is still operational, but my readings show it as crippled. Their subs are on their way home as we speak. Now, what can I do for you?" Greg asked.
"You were right, Gregor is on a plane heading for Washington. I called Pete Cleary and he's agreed to hold position, but Terence Hill doesn't believe anything strange is going on. He's still at flank speed and heading for the Chinese fleet up there. Both Pete and I are redeploying in a defensive formation, but we won't move forward," the man replied sadly. "Jesus, this is a major fucking mess. Who do we trust now? Who do we take orders from?"
"I don't have any good answers for you Sir," Greg replied. "You're welcome to contact us for information, but for the time being, I'd recommend just doing what you think is right. We won't give you orders, but we will try to help as much as we can."
"I appreciate that, Commander. We might just need to call on you," Hastings replied.
Jarad was having a little more success in rounding up the major players in the Cabal. He had started in Europe, as most of the longest seated members were located there. He had filled four shuttles with very annoyed men and women before moving up into the former Soviet nations. However, by the time he got to them, the Soviets were ready for them and had tried to put up a resistance.
It took more time than he had planned, but they still managed to get the people they had been after. China was next, then they moved down through the orient and Middle Eastern countries and Africa. Ironically, there were not as many Cabal members to arrest in Africa.
By the end of the first day, Jarad and his Marines had detained almost a thousand people. As they were finishing up in Australia, Jarad ordered his team to rotate out with fresh Marines and he took a nap while they headed for South America to begin working north.
The Marine commander woke Jarad six hours later, as the teams had finished raiding a compound in Panama. They had run into a problem.
Jarad had his Hypersled land next to the Marine assault shuttle and got out. The commander handed him a cup of really good coffee and apologized for waking him. "Sir, our targets are not here. When we questioned the captive guards, we found out that yesterday evening, all of our targets were called to Virginia; specifically, the NSA headquarters building near Langley."
"Well, we knew they were on to us when we started in Russia. So, what's the problem?" Jarad asked.
"One of the higher placed staffers told us that they were not recalled for their protection; something else had happened. Something really major that she said would finally put us in our place," the man reported.
"That doesn't sound good. No clue as to what that something was, though, huh?" Jarad asked.
The man shook his head. "No Sir, Apparently it was so secret they wouldn't say what it was over the phone since they knew we could be listening."
"Were we?" Jarad asked, grinning.
"Of course, that's how we knew she was telling us the truth," the man replied. "Intel reports that the rest of our targets have also been called to the NSA headquarters. From what they can infer from all the comm traffic is that they believe they now have access to weapons and armor that are at least as good as ours, perhaps better." The man shook his head. "Unless the Drellians somehow slipped past without us seeing them, there is no way in hell it could be true. I've ordered my folks into full combat armor and to break out our real weapons just in case."
Jarad nodded. "Understood and approved. Let me give Greg a call and see how he wants us to handle this. If this is really a game changer, he will definitely want to know about it. For now, let's just take a break and sit tight until I see what he wants to do. You and your people have done really good work, Commander."
"Thank you, Sir, I'll be sure to tell them. I'll set up a perimeter and get the rest of the kids fed," the man replied smiling. "I'll be sure to save you a plate."
"I would really appreciate that, commander. If you have some idle troopers, why don't you see what we can do for the locals? Just don't spend more than a hundred thousand dollars without getting permission, okay?" Jarad replied grinning.
The man grinned. "You got it, Sir!"
Jarad chuckled as he returned to his sled to call Greg. When he got settled into his cockpit, his computer informed him there was a small armed group approaching them from the northeast. "Commander, there is a group of armed men heading our way from the northeast; do you see them?"
"Yes Sir, we just got them. I don't think they're hostile, though, Sir. They are simply walking down the street toward us, with their weapons ready, but not pointed at us. We'll figure out what's going on, and let you know," the man replied.
"Good work, commander," Jarad replied. "I'll be on the comms with Greg for the next few, so if I don't answer right away, do what you think is best."
"Yes Sir; they are carrying earth weapons, so my people have switched back to stunners for the time being," the man replied.
"Excellent, Jarad out," Jarad replied and switched comms to the channel for Greg. "Greg, it's Jarad, you have a moment?"
"It looks like all I have is time right now, Jarad. What's up?" Greg replied.
"Well, we've made it to Panama in our round-up of Cabal leaders, and we've run into something curious. It seems that the remaining leaders have been recalled to the NSA headquarters. However, the recall wasn't for their protection; something imp
ortant has happened. Intel says that they believe they now have weapons equal to or better than ours. Before I authorized an assault on the NSA that might actually kill people, I wanted to talk to you first," Jarad explained.
"Huh, that would certainly explain a few things we've been seeing out here. The fleets have all turned and are returning to their own waters. Abraxis tells me that they received orders to retreat and await new orders. At first, I thought it was because of what you were doing, but this certainly puts a new light on things," Greg replied thoughtfully.
"Proceed to the NSA headquarters, but use your sled in stealth mode to scan the complex. See if they actually have the weapons and armor they think they have. If they don't, go ahead and do your thing. If they do actually have advanced weapons, we'll have to pull back for the time being and try to figure out how they got them and what to do about it."
Jarad saw that the Marine commander was trying to reach him. "Hang on a second Greg, My Marine commander is trying to reach me." He left the channel to Greg open and switched to the comm with the commander. "What's up Commander?"
"The armed group is like a local militia and they are friendly. They came over to see if there was anything they could do to help us. I asked them if they knew of people that might need medical treatment or repairs to buildings. Their leader was very helpful. She identified several homes that are ready to collapse, including the local free clinic.
"Sir, this complex the Cabal was using is pretty nice. I'd like to, uh, appropriate it. We can set up a really nice clinic, and a few hundred apartments as well as a decent food court area pretty damn easily. If you approve, She said she'll ask one of the Doctors to come over and help us get that part set up. She knows of at least three local restaurants that would be more than willing to move in as well," the commander replied.