by Charles Lamb
This planet was now codenamed Rest-Stop and the team there were referred to as Tourists. She had no idea who made this crap up, but she was sure the Marines were likely not happy being called tourists.
Her current dilemma was how she was going to get enough supplies delivered to the team under the noses of the local defense network. She needed to get them enough food to last several more weeks, until they had the attack forces there and in position. Thankfully, they only required a food resupply, as their orders were not to engage. That left ammo and other depletables still at capacity from their landing. Usable power they could regenerate via solar, but that usage was to be kept at a minimum to avoid detection.
The solution was to take several surveillance drones and strip them of their instrument packages. The vacated pockets were then packed with as much foodstuff as they would hold. Jake had insisted that they find some special items to include in the delivery, but nothing could be in stasis boxes as the power signature could betray the delivery to the NeHaw sensors. He insisted that being stuck in the field under such circumstances, in his words, sucked.
As it was, the drones would be dropped at the edge of the system in one of the touch and go maneuvers the NeHaw had grown to expect from the human ships. The drones would launch and fly to a pre-programed intercept point with the planet, traveling unpowered. At the very last, as they entered the atmosphere, they would power up and then brake, slowing their decent, and land in one of the selected drop points where their team could retrieve them as necessary.
Linda had queried the unit commander to get suggestions on what they might consider “special” meals or other items. The woman had been most helpful, although Linda suspected the team might have other opinions about her recommendations.
Satisfied with the decision, she shot a message to the space station to prepare the drones and coordinated a destroyer for the drop. The necessary foodstuff was already in the ship’s stores on Kola, intended for transfer to the space station. Additional materials were also on route, currently halfway between Earth and the edge of the solar system where the station was under assembly.
----*----
Jake had done his best not to offend the group in the pub, with regards to their drink choices. Avoiding anything remotely hard core, he had stuck with the beer on tap. In that way, he had managed to nurse his beers between rounds to put him several behind the others. He had also been in this position many times before and had learned how to pace himself. Poor Jacob on the other hand was well into his cups.
At some point during the afternoon, Nigel and come to join the festivities. Jake envied the way the man was greeted as one of their own, no pretense on standing or authority issues. While he worked hard to maintain that with his own people, it wasn’t always achievable.
He chalked it up to the more intimate settings of the London facility in comparison to the nationwide network of locations he had to manage. The sheer size and number of people involved made it really hard for him to spend quality time with anyone.
The group sat singing one of the numerous military drinking songs, this one involving running from the army, all over god’s creation, getting someone pregnant, and then back into the army. Jake laughed as he thought this the most appropriate for Jacob’s current situation. Only it was to be the Army coming to his aid, in securing the venue for the pending nuptials for him and the pregnant Gemma.
As he scanned the group, he caught a glance from Daniel, not nearly as drunk as the others and watching Jake with a keen eye. Jake knew the look of a man planning something, but he would have to wait until the lieutenant came to him with whatever concoction he had cooked up. Patti had warned him that Daniel was struggling with deciding his lot in life. It looked to Jake as if he had come to a decision.
----*----
Jessie was in the main hangar in Alaska watching the transports unloading from New York. Although the mission had been cut short, they had recovered a substantial amount of art before the city erupted in gunfire. She watched as several pieces were transferred to another smaller craft, destine for Georgia and ALICE-9 where they provided restoration services. With Helen’s rapid departure, Jessie had been left to fend for herself in the running the organization’s efforts.
Although Jessie was technically responsible for the entire Alaskan operation, she left Seven, the ALICE there, to run the fighter construction. The Flight Training facilities were managed by the various military commanders, so all in all, she was free to pursue her art recovery efforts in relative peace.
Jessie was more of a history nut than art lover, however, she still valued each and every piece they recovered. She didn’t feel the need to appreciate the esthetics of a particular work, as Helen did, she just valued the age of the item. A 2,000 year old common bronze statue was every bit as valuable to her as a 17th century Rembrandt.
Even so, with all this running through her head, it was something else that was eating at her. She had told herself from the beginning that just being in charge, being one of the decision makers, was enough to make her happy. Lately, though she found herself looking forward to Jake’s visits, intended for the benefit of his son, Ryan, but organized as family time for the three of them.
More and more she dreaded his departure, making up excuses for why he had to spend one more day before returning south. After his last visit, as she had watched him climb aboard the transport that was to take him to London, when she put her finger on what was troubling her. She was lonely.
The day before, she had convinced Jake to spend one more night, staying in the quarters she and Ryan called home. That night while they did not make love, they slept together and she drifted off to sleep, content in his arms as they wrapped about her from behind. It was that moment that Jessie decided she needed to step up her game and get Jake back into her life more actively.
----*----
Sergeant Hillestad was told to get his team settled in for a long wait. If by settling in, you meant to do a full reconnaissance of all three target sites, then they were settled in already. The orders that had been transmitted to the team meant only one thing, there was going to be an attack.
Once they had established a camp for the night, Jason began going through the entire feed, his corporal doing the same while the two shooters kept watch. By his estimation, the rest of the forces would be coming in just over three weeks, Earth time. Since they only had supplies for about a week, he certainly hoped there was a resupply.
In the meantime, they were to survey all three target locations, locate defensive positions and estimate alien force types and sizes. They were also to track any ship movements in and out of the area as well as record ship type and any marking that might permit identification.
All totaled, they were being charged to do exactly what they had been trained for.
“You think three weeks Sarge?” one of the shooters asked as they discussed the change in plan.
“We getting a drop? We’ve already cleaned out the sleds,” his corporal asked, referring to the supplies they had recovered from the hovercycles.
“We better,” Hillestad replied, as he waved the meal container he had just emptied at her.
Chapter 14
Jake and Daniel guided the wavering Jacob back to the quarter’s level of the London facility. Although Jake had been to London before, he was grateful for Daniel’s directions as they wandered the maze of halls.
“You’re late,” Gemma greeted the three after Daniel had knocked.
“Allow Luv,” Jacob blurted, a mimic he had picked up earlier, still being held upright between Jake and Daniel.
“Don’t allow luv, me! We are supposed to meet my parents for dinner tonight and you can’t show up pissed!” Gemma snapped.
Sitting on the overstuffed chairs behind the enraged redhead, Jake could see Sara, Becky, and Patti, doing their best to suppress their laughter.
“It’s my fault, Gemma. My mates took it upon themselves to help celebrate you’re up the, ah, p
ea in the pod,” Daniel explained, catching himself before repeating the less polite term used earlier in the pub.
“She’s really cheesed off,” Jacob whispered to Jake.
“Just go drop him on the bed please,” Gemma said as she waved them into a side room.
Following instructions, Jake and Daniel ushered the unsteady Jacob into the side room and dropped him unceremoniously face down on the bed. They then turned and exited the room, leaving Jacob and Gemma alone.
“You should have watched him better,” Patti admonished Daniel as he went to sit next to her.
“He was already three sheets to the wind when we arrived,” Jake offered as he sat on the arm of the chair Sara occupied.
“Well, he is right wankered,” Gemma announced to the room as she closed the door behind her.
“Let him sleep it off, he should be ok by dinner,” Patti offered as Gemma sat opposite her in another of the overstuffed chairs.
“All my mum needs is a notion Jacob is a tosspot,” she said sadly.
“You know better, besides, your mother has a wedding to plan. She will be more than preoccupied with that,” Sara offered.
“I hope so,” Gemma replied with a weak smile.
----*----
Colonel Bo was out on the test track of the Texas facility, reviewing the latest upgrades to his armor. He and Robert had determined they could get just enough of his equipment converted in time to execute the plan they had contrived. As he watched, the first four heavy tanks were performing basic field maneuvers, allowing their crews a chance to familiarize themselves with the changes.
No longer tracked vehicles, all hovered a short distance above the ground. The recesses, once containing treads and road wheels, were now home to repulser motors and extra power cells. Their turrets had been removed, to allow for a sealed crew space. In their place the gun carriage had been modified for external operation of both an energy cannon and an auto feed railgun.
It operated in a full 360 degree rotation as before, but didn’t require a loader to directly access either gun. The command hatch was replaced with a hardened point containing an instrument package that gathered both visual and tactical data, including infrared, radar and more.
All units had two small drones, which once deployed, could give them a bird’s eye view of the battlefield as well as act as scouts. One drone could feed the entire tank platoon, four vehicles in all, with all the data and video.
Finally, all these changes mean that the inside of the tanks had become more spacious. This permitted for adding items necessary for prolonged occupancy, should the environment require it. A lockout chamber was added to each, allowing crew, one at a time, to exit the vehicle without evacuating the entire interior. In more habitable environments, there were additional escape hatches in the traditional locations.
Bo was amazed at how the heavy equipment floated gracefully over the rough terrain, hardly acknowledging the gaps and outcrops as they floated by. He was anxious to take them topside to allow for the live fire testing that would prove if the repulsers could hold a position during railgun fire. While he knew these guns had operated in space just fine, he needed to see for himself that there would be no recoil issues with this new design.
----*----
Jake was very thankful that dinner wasn’t an overly formal affair. While not the t-shirt and blue jeans attire he would have preferred, the event was described as family formal rather than a State Dinner. He had grown used to ALICE providing the necessary attire, so the scramble for proper clothing had been a novelty.
Nigel was as boisterous as ever at the head of the table with Helen on his left. Jake found himself across from her on Nigel’s right, with Sara to his right and Becky beyond Sara. Sara had mentioned that Patti had helped in finding appropriate maternity wear, from sources in London.
Scanning the table, he was happy to see Jacob had managed to partially recover from their earlier celebration at the pub. He still looked a little worse for wear and seem to be avoiding certain dishes as they were passed around. Parked between Gemma and Patti, the two women were doing their best to steer any potential triggers away from him.
As Gemma was next to Helen, she could also shield any scrutiny her mother might initiate toward her betrothed. That left Daniel next to Becky and across from Patti, to balance the seating and allow for more intimate conversations.
Jake would have been happy with a serve yourself arrangement, but Helen had stewards assisting the kitchen staff. He doubted they lived like this usually, and really wished she wouldn’t make such a big deal about his visits.
“Helen, I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you having us here,” Sara commented as if reading Jake’s mind.
“Yes, you really needn’t make such a fuss. We are going to be just family soon,” Jake added with a smile and a nod toward Gemma.
“No bother at all,” she replied lightly, dismissing it with a wave of her hand.
Jake had to suppress a laugh as one of the stewards attempted to place a dish with some kind of sauce covered fish in front of Jacob. In a swift move, Gemma diverted it away, ushering the plate down the table.
“I do apologize, but lately my stomach has been sensitive to certain aromas,” she said quietly to the steward.
“Oh, my dear, I am so sorry. Although I don’t recall having morning sickness with you?” Helen commented, appearing slightly confused.
“It comes and goes,” Gemma said dismissively.
“Ah, well, maybe a soup?” Helen offered as she waved to one of the stewards.
“Have we decided on a venue?” Jake asked, hoping to redirect the conversation.
“We had hoped for Westminster Cathedral, isn’t that right dear?” Nigel replied, starting to catch on as Becky passed Jacob some bread to help settle his stomach. Having participated in the earlier drinking binge, he was a seasoned drinker and no worse for wear.
“Oh, what? Yes, that’s right. The Leftanant promises he could have the area secure in no time at all,” Helen replied as she turned her attention away from the retreating steward.
All eyes turned to Daniel, who simply nodded in acknowledgement of the statement.
“I am told that part of London is really quite civilized as it is,” Nigel added.
“I wish I could say that about New York,” Jake replied as he sipped from his drink.
“Troubles?” Nigel asked as they all started in on the meal.
“Helen missed all the excitement. One of the art recovery teams was set upon as they tried to clear out the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” Sara offered.
“Oh dear,” Helen commented.
“No one was hurt, but they had to pull back for fear of damaging the artwork,” Patti added.
“Might they need some assistance on the ground?” Daniel asked earnestly.
“Maybe. I had intended to visit New York after the incident, but my schedule has been usurped by other events,” Jake replied with a grin. Though he received several questioning looks in reply, he was not prepared to delve into those subjects at the moment. His personal issues would stay off limits.
“If you like, I can take an SAS troop and reinforce the 10th?” Daniel added.
“We may have to discuss that possibility. Right now I just asked them to pull back until we can focus our attention on things there. The last thing I want is for a fight to break out where it’s not necessary,” Jake answered.
“I completely agree. By the way Gemma, I was wondering if I might have a word with you and Jacob later,” Daniel asked nonchalantly.
“Here it comes,” Jake thought to himself.
“I have some idea’s I’d like to run past you, with Jake’s approval,” Daniel finished with a smile.
----*----
Kola was in a world of her own as she worked the many aspects of assembling the space station. Mostly operational in its incomplete form, they had ships dropping in from FTL and resupplying at an almost constant rate.
As part of t
he overall strategy, the cruisers and destroyers used the space station as a transfer point with the Lanai Transports ferrying goods to and from Earth. The demand had become so great that several of the combat versions had been pressed into cargo duty to get the station saucers stocked up.
Besides all this, there were several groups in training, using her hangars as practice for deployment and recovery. She had fighters, transports and combat patrol ships coming and going from all directions.
“Kola, can you verify the delivery date for the last sections of the space station?” Captain Connor asked as she was working through her schedules.
“ALICE-3 confirms the last two sections will be shipped in ten Earth days,” Kola replied after a momentary exchange with her sister via the NeHaw network. A necessary evil considering the distances, the ALICEs had devised their own codes when utilizing the medium.
“I won’t rest until this thing is complete,” Isabella commented quietly as she stared out the bridge windows while watching the assembly of saucers.
“I share your concerns. Once completed, this station will equal anything ALICE-3 or I can provide in offensive capability. Until then, it’s vulnerable to attack,” Kola responded.
“And we are tied to its defense. I am sure you’ve been tracking the goings on back home?” Captain Connor asked.
“Yes, they will be ready soon. We will need to vacate some hangar space to accommodate the entire attack force,” Kola replied.
“Any Lanai ship not involved in the effort can be left with the station until we return. Major Jacobson will be bringing his own ships,” the Captain responded.
“Full of Chinese combat troops and equipment,” Kola added.
“That is a good point, are we appropriately provisioned to accommodate them. I don’t believe we have operated with that high a concentration of Chinese to be concerned about their specific ethnic needs?” Isabella replied. While she was sure they would make due with whatever was available, it was only common courtesy that they attempt to meet their needs.