Immortal Guardian: Hoast Saga Book 2 (Host Saga)

by Michael Farlow

  With the fun space flight completed, the Enterprise returned to Site R.

  “OK, Stan and Danny, if you’ll come with me to our Ops Center, we can discuss your future.”

  “That sounds ominous,” commented Stan as they entered the elevator.

  “Not really. We need to discuss some ground rules before we tell you what we’re all about,” said Van as the elevator doors opened and they entered the Ops Center.

  “Wow, this is nice! Better than anything we have at Spaceport America,” said Danny as he looked with wide eyes at the room and its contents.

  “Harry and I have developed it over time, and it fits our needs so far. Please take a seat and let’s talk.” Van waited for them to get comfortable and thought about how best to put the news he had for them. He’d had a hard time believing it when Harry had first shared all he knew about the Host and Arkon; but he hadn’t had the advantage of first riding aboard a futuristic shuttle from the Moon in fewer hours than it took to drive from Sacramento to Chula Vista. Maybe it would be easier for Stan and Danny to buy all of it than it had been for him. Only one way to find out. He started.

  “As I see it, you have two choices right now before we go any further. You can say you want to leave right now with new IDs and some cash, and you can go—after your memory of us has been erased. Or, you can stay and listen to what we are about. After that, you will have the same two choices. What will it be?”

  “You say our memory will be erased. What does that mean?” asked Stan.

  “Fair question. We have a painless method of erasing recent memories to ensure that who we are and what we do are not made public. It’s a security precaution and doesn’t hurt you in any way.”

  “Uh-huh,” said Stan. “What if we resist?”

  “You can, but to no avail, let me be clear on that,” responded Van.

  Stan looked at Danny, who gave him a nod, and then he said, “OK, we’ll bite. Looks like we have nothing to lose.”

  Van took about an hour to give the two men a top-level briefing on the Host, the Arkon, Site R, and its equipment. Van, with help from Harry, also gave them an idea of their goals and visuals of some of the equipment and capabilities available to them. No mention was made of the Moon or other sites.

  “That about covers what we want to disclose for now. Any questions?” Van asked.

  Neither of the two men could speak right away. But finally, Danny broke the silence.

  “You mean that you are in possession of advanced alien technology like the Enterprise we flew in and that you and Harry are slowly trying to push the whole human race into space before the bad guys get here?”

  “That’s a little simplified, but essentially correct,” said an amused Van.

  More silence.

  “So if we say yes to helping you, what will you have us doing?” asked Stan.

  “Good question. I can’t tell you specifically yet since we are still in our infant stages. However, I already know that we’ll need pilots and navigators—or, more correctly, astrogators—when it comes to space. Harry and I can’t do it all. We will have to bring more and more people into the fold. There’s much to do.”

  “But that won’t happen overnight. How long do you expect this process to run, anyway?” asked Stan again.

  “Overall, it will take a long time. Harry suggests that it might be more than a lifetime before humans become true space farers and able to defend themselves against threats like the Arkon.”

  “So we’ll just be a small part of it all and never see the end?” asked Danny.

  “That also depends on what you want to do. With the technology available to us, you may be able to opt to extend your lives and actually see the end.”

  “You can actually do that?” asked Stan, his amazement sprinkled with a little skepticism.

  “I assure you it is possible. But we don’t need to discuss that now. All we want to know is if you want to join with us or go on your way. Be advised, though, if you say yes, there’s no going back,” said Van in conclusion. He crossed his mental fingers, hoping for the right outcome.

  “I don’t know about Stan here, but I’m in!” said Danny with schoolboy delight.

  Stan hesitated but finally said, “I’m in too. I’ll never get another chance like this, especially after the loss of Space Ship 4.”

  “Good,” said Van. “Harry will begin your indoctrination and flight training after you receive a communications implant.”

  The group is growing, he thought. And it needs to. Even with the Carson Group, Harry and I need more help. I didn’t anticipate growing so fast, but it has to happen. So much for solitary retirement.

  The next day, Van contacted Dick on implant communications.

  Dick jumped right in before Van could start. “Hey, Van. Have you been watching the news about the loss of Space Ship 4 and its crew?”

  “Indeed I have, and that’s part of the reason I called. We have the crew here.”

  “You what?” was all Dick could say.

  “We have the crew here, taking some rest in the cabin at Site R. Short story is that Harry and I took a flight in the Enterprise to have a look at all the excitement on the Moon. We detected the shoot-down, and when we found the crash, the crew was still alive. We couldn’t just leave them there, so we picked them up and brought them here.”

  “Ah, you showed them the site and everything?”

  “Not quite everything yet, Dick, but suffice to say that we now have two new recruits read in. They’ll be pilots for the shuttles for now. However, there’s more going on up there than anybody knows, and we need to talk about things like manpower and recruiting. And when I say ‘we,’ I mean Brice as well.”

  “I was wondering when you would propose that, and I agree. I suppose you want to do that at Site R?” asked Dick.

  “That would be best.”

  “Where and when do you pick us up?”

  “How about the night after tomorrow at the warehouse, say 9:00 p.m. with the B1?”

  “We’ll be waiting.”

  CHAPTER 19

  The pickup in Virginia the next night went without a hitch. Harry flew the B1, while Van rode as a passenger with Dick and Brice.

  “Where has Barbara gone?” asked Van.

  “She had to go to the Air Force Security Agency in San Antonio. Likely she’ll be there for several days,” replied Dick, with no suggestion that this was all planned out.

  “Oh, OK. Brice, before we get to where we’re going, I need to tell you a few things and get your promise not to reveal anything you hear,” said Van.

  “Why do I get the feeling that I am being set up?” responded Brice with a smile.

  “Because you are. Here is what I need to tell you….”

  By the time the B1 landed at Site R, Brice had learned all the basics about the Host and the technology left behind.

  “Holy shit, Van! I knew that your stuff was really top-notch, but I never suspected that it didn’t come from Earth. Wow, what would my dad say now if he were still alive?”

  “Nothing, because you couldn’t tell him,” said Van, grinning. “Let’s get to the Ops Center and finish our discussion. You can also meet Stan and Danny.”

  “Who?” said Brice with a puzzled look as he trailed along.

  “Not Stan Walters and Danny Ramos of Space Ship 4…. you’re dead!” exclaimed Brice as he was introduced to the two astronauts.

  “Do you feel dead, Danny?” said Stan.

  Danny started feeling himself on both sides then stopped. “Nope, do you?”

  “Not really. I guess that means we’re alive!”

  “Oh thank heaven!” said Danny looking up at the ceiling with fake relief as they both broke into laughter.

  “OK, OK, guys, I get the picture, you aren’t dead. I suppose you’re going to say that Harry and Van rescued you.”

  Stan looked at Danny and they both nodded. Stan said, “Yep, that pretty much covers it.”

  “Brice, we can go into
the details later if you want, but there are several things I need to tell all of you,” said Van. “First, as Stan and Danny know firsthand, visits to the Moon by China and Russia are getting more interesting—if not dangerous. More importantly, after picking up these two waifs from the surface, we discovered that the Chinese have deposited habitats and supplies in the southwestern end of Vallis Alpes. What’s more, they’re right next to a large lava tube that we think the Chinese plan on using as their principal base on the Moon. And nobody knows it except us.

  “In the near term, however, nobody can do anything about it if the Chinese get more militant…. except us. I hope that we don’t have to get involved, but it remains a possibility. If so, Harry and I can’t do much on our own. Well, we can, but I can see our slim resources being taxed beyond their limits quickly.

  “In the longer term, there needs to be a bigger cadre of dedicated people to shepherd and control the flow of the Host technology to mankind’s use. We have to see that humans don’t kill themselves off with all the new toys before the Arkon come.

  “Stan and Danny are here to be our beginning core of pilots and eventually navigators or, more correctly, astrogators. Brice, if you agree, I would like you to become our chief of security defense forces. We need more bodies because there’s more technology and hardware available to us than any of you know, including Dick.”

  Van looked Brice in the eye. “Brice, I gave you the basic brief on the way here. Are you in or out?”

  “Are you kidding? I’m in!”

  “Good, then perhaps all of you would like to adjourn to the Moon for a surprise—after Brice gets a communications implant like the rest of you. And, Brice, don’t ask if it will hurt!” Van smiled.

  The next day, Anikin sat in his command chair in the Baikonur Control Center, seeming to look at the ceiling. Those who knew him would say he was in an introspective mood. It was a family trait inherited from his great-grandfather, or so his mother told him.

  “Mikhael, does your wife think you spend more time here than at home?” he asked with a smile but still staring upward.

  “I am not married, General.”

  “Ah yes, to be as free as a bird again. My lovely wife, Marta, and my two girls, Nina and Lucya, complain that I am not home enough these days,” Anikin said, wishing he could spend more time with his family.

  “How old is Lucya now, General?”

  Anikin shifted from his introspective mode and looked directly at his young aide with a half smile. “Too young for you, Mikhael Vavilov. Besides, she likes the son of one of our illustrious Russian billionaires. Now, what is the status of the Pitchka?”

  “Major Bovarin says Pitchka is ready in all respects for launch, General.”

  “Good. Give the signal to launch. While the Chinese are not there, let us see what they are so protective of in Vallis Alpes.”

  “What do you mean the Chang’e 5 and 6 cannot fly?” shouted PLA General Li Jing from his command seat in the Jiuquan Control Center. His eyes were tightening and his teeth were bared, sure signs of his anger.

  “Chang’e 5 is still undergoing modification for the next Moon trip, and Chang’e 6 suffered damage to its airframe after firing the warning missile at the Russians,” responded Colonel Fei, his eyes looking all around as if to spy an exit or a safe spot.

  “Why was I not told this before now?” shouted Jing.

  “It is in our reports and flight schedule, General. I do not know how you were not informed,” said Fei in response. To himself, the Air Force colonel thought it never ceased to amaze him how army generals always saw equipment as tanks instead of fragile machines.

  “Then do what has to be done to get the Chang’e 6 ready for launch. The Russians are on their way to the Moon now.”

  “Yes, General. Right away,” said Fei as he ran out of the control room.

  As the Enterprise passed into the shadow of the dark side of the Moon, Harry alerted Van and their passengers.

  “Commander, the Russians have launched the Pitchka, and it is on track for the Moon.”

  “How about the Chinese?” asked Van with concern.

  “No launch activity at Jiuquan, Commander.”

  “So the Russians will be here in a few hours and have free run of the place?”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  “Before they get here, can you have sensors placed around the Chinese supply and habitat area? We need to keep an eye on what happens there.”

  “Yes, Commander. I left a few sensors there when we landed, but I will dispatch some fireflies now.”

  “Good. Let’s continue to our Moon site.”

  “Yes, Commander. We should be there in about twenty minutes.”

  True to Harry’s prediction, the Enterprise turned on final approach to the Moon base in nineteen minutes. All the passengers except Van had their faces pressed against whichever window they could find. This was amazing to them. Red approach lights appeared, and red light from the opening cavern door shined down on what looked to be parts of some sort of disassembled ship. There was so little of it, however, that no one could make an intelligent assessment of how big it was, what it looked like, or even how long it might have been there.

  The Enterprise passed through the cavernous doors, which closed behind it. As soon as the doors closed, white lights came on revealing a pristine hangar area—with nothing in it but the Enterprise, which had now landed.

  “Where’s all the good stuff?” asked Danny in a disappointed tone as he exited the shuttle with everyone else.

  “You’ll get to see it all soon. Be patient,” said Van with a smile and then began the guided tour.

  After ushering everyone onto the elevator, he said as they stopped on Level 3, “The layout of this portion of the site is relatively the same as Site R. There are five levels. This level, as you can see, contains additional equipment such as these combat shuttles. There are two of them, which we refer to as CS1 and CS2. They are armed and much larger than the other shuttles like the Enterprise. They are faster and have greater shield power. By the way, Brice, this is the craft that took out the T72 that was about to kill Alfa One’s guys at Mosul Dam.”

  The bunch ogled the area as they left the closing elevator doors behind.

  “Holy moly,” cried Danny with bugged-out eyes. “This will change everything. Will we get to fly them?”

  “I suspect you will at some point,” Van said. “Flight instruction will take place here and at Site R. First in a learning chair, then a simulator, and finally in the shuttles and other ships.”

  “Other ships?” asked Brice incredulously.

  “Well, more like one ship and a half. We are in the process of recovering and reconstructing the crashed corvette you saw on approach, but we also have a fully operational one just next door, where we are headed now.” Van turned toward the elevator and motioned the others to follow.

  Taking the maglev car to the maintenance and construction bay was like taking kids on a ride at Disneyland. Everyone was talking to each other, each more amazed than the other—until the car stopped and they saw the Aurora.

  “Whoa…. what’s that?” asked Stan and Danny simultaneously.

  “The Aurora,” answered Harry. “This particular ship is an older Agora-class corvette, one of the smallest warships of the Host fleet. For weapons, it carries two laser cannons, plasma cannons, two plasma torpedo tubes, and four rail guns. For detection missions, it carries up to five retrievable surveillance drones. It also uses ZPE for power and is capable of atmospheric as well as space flight. It has basic energy shields and stealth systems similar to but stronger than any of the shuttles.”

  After what seemed like minutes as everyone stood gawking, Dick asked, “What’s a ZPE?”

  “As Harry has taught me,” responded Van, “ZPEs are zero-point energy systems. They gather energy from space, which gives the craft power for virtually unlimited flight without the need for refueling. She also has FTL capability, or at least something close, a
s Harry keeps reminding me.”

  “I’ll be damned!” said Stan. “Imagine, no fuel requirement, and FTL. Just amazing!”

  “Can we go aboard?” asked Dick.

  “Yes, but before we do, I would like each of you to get a few lessons from the learning chair and then have Harry give you a deck-by-deck overview.

  “One final thing: For those of you who will likely be exposed to combat, which is everyone except possibly Dick, we have nanite treatments available to you if you choose. These will help your body repair itself and protect you from most common illnesses. The downside, if you want to call it that, is that repeated or regular use will extend your lives beyond what normal humans can expect.

  “Getting back to your earlier question, Danny, as to whether any of us will ever see the completion of all our plans and goals, the answer is yes, if you want to and you are not just outright destroyed. I’m talking about living a hundred or more years. I’m on that path now by virtue of an agreement with Harry and because of several emergency treatments.

  “I can tell you from experience that there are no ill effects. However, the philosophical question is, do you want to live that long? Not everybody does.”

  “So we would outlive our families?” asked Dick.

  “Distant families, yes. I have talked this over with Harry, and we can give your immediate families the same life-extension option if you, and they, want. We can’t yet share all of these secrets with them, but we can explain that we have nanite treatments that are safe and developed privately by Stellar Projects. We may later be able to reveal more of our capabilities to them, but that will depend on circumstances. The decision you need to make is whether or not you want to opt in to the treatments. Whatever that decision is, it will not keep you from participating in what we have to do. So think about it. Take your time. You may want to discuss this particular option with your families—just not what we have here or on Earth and what we may plan to do. That is top secret, as you can well understand.”