Richwine asked, “How is it your Council is allowing them to go unchecked?”
“Our civilization has endured for hundreds of thousands of years, General. We have, as a race, grown into paralyzing complacency. I fear our time is coming to an end.”
“Well I suppose I can appreciate one brave lady of a world full of spineless pansies....”
“General!” the President scolded.
“No offense, Ma'am.”
“None taken.”
Turning to the President, Richwine asked, “So why don't we just nuke them and be done with it?”
“If I may, Sir,” Gladosanthos said, “The Mingrein have full usage of Li torpedoes. Any rockets, missiles, ships, planes or otherwise would just be shot down before they were in range for an attack. While they don't typically develop technology on their own, we suspect they are getting help from someone. They have also gained the ability to detect and target our ships despite our stealth attributes.”
The men all sat and stared at each other for a few moments before Frank spoke up. “I know it's a lot to take in. We'll just walk over to the bar and let you guys talk among yourselves.” He stood up and walked away with Terrelle and the orb following.
Sammie was looking at Frank in astonishment. “That's some job there, Frank. You get dental with that?”
“I think so. We haven't really nailed down my fee yet.”
Terrelle added, “I'm pretty sure my fee just went up.”
“I'd expect nothing less from a lawyer,” Frank joked.
After a short time they were joined at the bar by the President, who walked over alone. “What do the Mingrein want? What's their motivation?”
“They want what all living things want. Food and a place to live. The problem is they're carnivores.”
“That explains the cattle.”
“Yes. But it turns out we're edible too.”
The President's eyes widened. “Oh my God.”
“Yes. It's that bad. Why did you guys bury the story in the media?”
“We certainly don't need a panic to spread.”
“I'm trying to see it from both sides. Panic is one thing. But I narrowly rescued Lester and his family at that ranch. And we lost eight men at the freighter. I don't want to even think about what fate they met. Did we mention there's a Mingrein base on the backside of the moon?”
“No. But that explains where those ships in orbit are coming from.”
“Ships in orbit?”
“NASA has eyes on six ships. They are all over North America. They hinted at the possibility of more farther out.”
“They must have intel about Earth's military. They'll take us out first since we're the strongest.”
“Just tell me what you need, Frank.”
“We are in the market for a new island since the last one got mostly blown up. I feel that since I'm a target, I should post up somewhere mostly uninhabited.”
“That can be arranged.”
“We're willing to pay for the real estate. We aren't going to be a burden on any country's economy in any way if we can prevent it.”
“I'm sure it doesn't have to come to that. Is there anything else you need?”
“How about a small group of Marines for my strike team? I know a few guys that may be interested.”
“Done. What else?”
“If I compile a list, could you arrange for delivery of certain building materials onto the island?”
“The Navy will be at our disposal for whatever we need. General Richwine will want to discuss strategy with you at some point.”
“Is there anyone else you could send? That guy's a douche-bag.”
The President laughed out loud. “I'll see who I can dig up.”
“Would you like a beer, Mr. President, sir?” Sammie asked.
“Whiskey, straight up.”
Frank ordered the same. Terrelle could only stand and watch as this man, his former best friend whom he had betrayed, drank with the President of the United States.
Looking around, the President mused, “This place is going to be nice when you get all this work done. I think I'd like to come back when this is all over.”
“Anytime, Mr. President.” Sammie replied proudly.
“You know, Frank, I thought my job was stressful. How are you keeping it together?”
“I'm expecting to die at any moment, sir. But a job's a job.” The President raised his eyebrows in disbelief of Frank's nonchalant demeanor.
Gladosanthos added, “That is a proper attitude for The Custodian of Earth.”
12.
With the meeting adjourned and all the details ironed out as well as could be expected, Frank drove the rental car back to the lot to turn it in. Gladosanthos' orb took up a spot on the dash to soak up the sunlight.
“What did you think of that car that Terrelle was driving?”
“To be honest, Frank, I hardly even noticed it.”
“Shame. I spent a lot of hours working on that baby.”
“I overheard you two talking about it. What is the significance of that particular model?”
“I just always liked that year. I bought it as a junker and basically rebuilt it from the ground up. I gave it to my wife as a gift.”
“So why is Terrelle in possession of it?”
“Because she is now his wife.”
Gladosanthos was silent for some time. Finally she spoke. “I think I understand more about you now, Frank. You have been in mourning for quite some time now, haven't you?”
“I've had people die, but that's just a part of life. I wouldn't say I've been in mourning for them.”
“I was speaking of the death of your relationship.”
“Oh. Yeah. I suppose so.” They finished the drive in silence. As they pulled into the lot, Frank asked, “Is Phil ready?”
“Yes. He signaled me that he has finished the work he set out to do.”
After Frank turned in the rental car, he set off on foot around the back side of the building with the orb riding in his pocket. Looking around to see if anyone was present, he pressed the button on his bracelet and was quickly lifted into the landing boat.
“Hello, Frank, how did the meeting go?”
“Better than expected, Phil. How'd you make out?”
“Better than expected. In addition to installing the view screen and remote, I think I was able to alter the gravitational generator's operating frequencies.”
“Uh.”
“Hopefully to regain our invisibility....”
“Ah yes. Have you done a test run?”
“Not yet. I wanted to get approval from the Mistress.”
“You don't have to ask my permission, Phildan. I have full confidence in your abilities.”
While Phildan turned purple, Frank said, “Shall we?” He located the TV clicker and put it on input two. He sat on the couch and watched as the surface dropped beneath them.
“The hard part was to convert the three dimensional capture mode into a two dimensional mode for this particular screen.”
“I can only imagine. But you did great. This is awesome.”
“The more I become accustomed to you, Frank, the more I forget things like the fact that you have never left Earth's atmosphere before.”
“Well thanks, I think. How long until we know if your adjustments have worked out?”
“We would know by now. No torpedoes are heading toward us. And there's a Mingrein ship. Let me turn the remote.” A massive vessel came into view on the television. It was almost too large to fit onto the screen. Frank was struggling to make sense of the layout when Phildan started explaining it.
“If you look closely, you can see all the freighters and gun boats parked on the hull.” There were so many of them that the hull itself was almost not visible. “The ship itself isn't as large as it would appear. It's primary function is to carry the smaller ships to the drop points. I doubt the Mingrein even congregate together on the main vessel. They probably confine themselves to th
e smaller boats. But if I had to guess, there's most likely a stasis farm right about there.” He pointed to what appeared to be the forward third of the giant ship.
“What's a stasis farm?”
“The Mingrein, like many other species, most likely place themselves in stasis to endure the long trips between solar systems. While their ships are relatively fast, it still takes several years to traverse the distance from the other side of the galaxy. I'm betting that without stasis, they would cannibalize at a high rate.”
Gladosanthos added, “But we don't know how their stasis chambers work. They aren't compatible with ours.”
“Too bad. It would come in handy.” Frank considered the options.
“Mistress, I believe its safe for you to activate more systems on board Main Ship.”
“Thank you Phildan. I was beginning to fear for our garden.”
“I was more concerned for your comfort, Mistress.”
Frank asked, “So you've been sitting in Antarctica, freezing your ass off this whole time?”
“I've kept ship systems to bare minimal. I've had enough heat and light to keep the garden going. I've only powered enough of the computational systems to manage my remotes. As for myself, I've been wearing a suit.”
“My main concern was the gravity.” Phildan said. “Sessik Home has a fraction of Earth's gravity. While the Mistress isn't one to complain, I know she was miserable.”
“That is true. I'm activating the gravitational generators now.”
Frank shook his head, trying to make it work. “How does something that makes gravity make you feel lighter? I'm so confused.”
Phildan explained, “The gravitational generators can make negative gravity as well. That allows us to fine tune the amount of gravity inside the ship. The other use is in propulsion. The same system affects how the ship as a whole interacts with larger masses, like planets and stars.”
“You're talking over my head. We should have a look at that moon base while we're up here.”
“Agreed,” said Gladosanthos, “but be ready to go evasive, just in case.”
“Of course, Mistress.” Phildan pressed a spot on his pad and the moon came into view. In a matter of moments it filled up the entire screen.
“Holy shit! Did you zoom in, or did we really just get here that fast?”
“The landing boat is much faster outside the confines of atmosphere,” Phildan explained.
“That's an understatement! Wow! It looks just like the shots they show from the old Apollo missions. There's a theory that the reason we never went back to the moon was because they found something up there, or something. I wonder if they met some Rotinoms.”
“That is possible,” Gladosanthos replied, “But your recorded history obviously doesn't reflect that.”
“We are entering the dark side,” Phildan interjected.
“Yeah, that's enough sight seeing. Thanks for taking it slow so I could take it all in. Very cool.”
“It's my pleasure, Frank. Installing the view screen was an excellent idea. It never occurred to me before. Coming up on the base now.”
In the midst of a landscape riddled with craters, and inside one of the largest, was a group of small domes in a circular pattern surrounding one large dome. They were all connected by metallic tubes. Between each of the smaller domes, flat sections of what appeared to be some form of pavement formed what seemed to be landing pads. None of the pads were large enough for the bigger Mingrein ships, but most of them were occupied by some of the smaller landing craft. Freighters and turtles were parked up close to the structure with smaller sections of the tunnels connected to the vessels. Frank realized they were air locks.
“Torpedo!” Phildan exclaimed and clutched his pad.
“Hold steady.” The calmness of Gladosanthos' voice was intoxicating. They watched anxiously as the torpedo shot upward away from the surface of the moon, opposite the direction of the Earth. “Impact aversion. It was probably automated. Main Ship showed a small meteor that may or may not have impacted had it gone unimpeded. I would have to say this test is a success. Congratulations, Phildan.”
“Thank you, Mistress.”
“Guys, there are torpedo batteries everywhere. Nuking this place is out of the question.”
“That wouldn't have been a good idea either way, Frank.” Phildan was winding up. “Depending on the power and size of the explosive, and not fully knowing the accurate density and composition of this moon, a nuclear explosive could have potentially fatal results for much of Earth. Furthermore....”
“Phil, you're talking over my head again. We'll save this conversation for the guys that actually have the nukes.”
“I see. Very well.”
“No offense, buddy.”
“None taken.”
“Good. How many carriers do they have now?”
“I'm showing one overhead and six more over North America.”
“I wonder if they are planning on invading with just that. Gladys, can you talk to Bett?”
“Yes, Frank. I've been talking to him sporadically since we departed the island. I'll ask him what he knows about the invasion.”
“Hopefully he's feeling cooperative. I've got no signal here. Let's get back to Earth so I can make a phone call, please.”
“Right away, Frank.” Phildan punched data into the pad and the boat sprang to life. Within moments the Earth filled the entire screen.
“Head toward Japan. I have an idea.”
* * *
The Senator was growing more impatient as he dialed Jason's phone. When Jason finally answered, he realized he was in no mood to hide it.
“Our benefactors are becoming increasingly agitated by our inability to eliminate Mr. Ford.”
“From what I understand, they didn't do so well themselves.”
“Yes, that is true. How did you know about that?”
“Connections. See if they would like to team up. I have an idea. That fucker might be bullet proof but I bet he can drown.”
“I like the sound of that. I'll make the call.”
* * *
Frank couldn't help but notice how silly he looked in the little box in the corner of the screen of his tablet. The larger portion of the screen was filled with the visage of the President.
“Sorry sir, this is my first video call.”
“It's okay, Frank. This stuff comes in handy in the political world. It's nice to see facial expressions when dealing with other people of power.”
“I'm hardly a person of power.”
“Don't sell yourself short. When this is all over you could have quite a career in politics.”
“No offense, sir, but that is the last profession I would enter. How's that island coming along?”
“France has one that they're willing to lease. But the French President wants to talk to you first.”
“In person? Or can I just call him?”
“Give me a minute and I'll try to patch him in. All of NATO is at high alert, so he should take my call. Hold on.”
The President left the frame and Frank attempted to use the tiny little image of himself to fix his hair a bit. He noted he was long overdue for a haircut. When the President returned, the screen split and Frank found himself looking at two Presidents.
“Hello, Mr. Ford, I am very honored to meet you finally.”
“Nice to meet you too, sir,” Frank realized he was speaking French, “please, just call me Frank.”
“And you may call me Pierre, and now we are friends!”
“Absolutely, Pierre.” And they laughed, and Frank really knew then that he hated politics.
“About this island, Frank. We have one that isn't inhabited and really is of no use to anyone. But it's yours if you wish. We will lease it to you for the next one hundred years for the fee of one American dollar.”
“That is more than generous, Pierre. Can I have a renewal option?”
After he stopped laughing, Pierre said, “But of course, my
friend. On the condition that we receive copies of the videos that your American President told us all about.”
Frank looked over at Phildan, who nodded, then turned back to his screen. “We are working on converting them from their three dimensional format to one that is view-able on our regular screens. I'll make them available to whoever needs to see them.”
“Excellent. I'm looking forward to working with you in the future, Frank.”
“Likewise, Pierre. If all of the planet's leaders are half as kind and cooperative as you are, we might have a real chance against these guys.”
“You are too kind Frank, and I must admit you are not quite what I expected. I will get my people to work right away on the formalities of the lease. You should receive the coordinates of the island within the hour.”
“Thanks, Pierre. I owe you one.”
“I am more than pleased to help, Frank. I have a feeling the entire world is going to end up owing you one.” He bowed slightly and his image was gone. The American President had remained silent for the duration but now spoke.
“I told you you could be a politician.”
Frank laughed, “Hardly. I have a favor to ask, sir.”
“What is it?”
“I need you to arrange an introduction.”
13.
Yohei Nakamura was a well respected man. In his seventy years of life, he had devoted himself to the preservation of the old ways. He knew the way of the Bushido was thought of as an antiquated attitude, but he saw great value in teaching his sons the old moral code, as his own father had taught him. He felt his country had lost it's way during his childhood and saw it falling farther and farther away. But there were still a small number of families that held the traditions and sent their young men to learn the ancient system of values. In addition to the swordplay, the men also learned life lessons, and the proper moral code of the warrior.
His stroll through his garden was interrupted by a young man walking quickly to meet him. The young man stopped short and bowed deeply. “You've summoned me, Grandfather?” he asked in Japanese.
“I am expecting a visitor, Hiroya. An American. I need your assistance, as your English is very good, and I know none.” His was a warm smile, a smile that told a story of a man who long ago refused to learn the tongue of the West.
Custodian_Monster of Earth Book One Page 12