Cadets

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Cadets Page 10

by Edward Miller


  “I’m sure you’re wondering why I called you here together.”

  That was the understatement of the century.

  “Ryan,” he continued. “Your dad asked me to give you a personal message. I sent you the file. I hope you’ll watch it.”

  “Can I ask what’s on it?”

  “No, you can watch the video when you get to your quarters.”

  “Will do, sir.”

  Amanda thought Ryan seemed way too calm, considering all that was going on. Or maybe he was just in a daze like she was. But why was she here? She was almost afraid to ask.

  “Dad,” she finally said, “are Tyler and Keene all right?” She was terrified about the thought of losing her brothers.

  “Tyler’s ship was damaged but made it safely to Pluto. Keene’s on Ryan’s dad’s ship and I know he’s fine—or as fine as anyone can be at this point. That’s not why I called you here. I want the two of you to look at this picture I’m going to put on the main viewer.”

  He moved over to his console and clicked on it. On the main view screen appeared a large picture of the front of a ship.

  “I don’t get it,” said Ryan. “What is it?”

  “Neither of you recognize that insignia?” said Williamson.

  Amanda wasn’t sure at first, though it did look familiar. Then it hit her and she gasped.

  “What is it?” said Ryan.

  Amanda held up the amulet on her necklace to show him. Ryan’s mouth dropped and it looked like his eyes were about to bug out of his head.

  “The insignia looks the same!” said Ryan.

  “That’s because it is the same,” replied the admiral.

  “What ship is that?” asked Ryan.

  “That’s the ship of the commander of the Altarran fleet.”

  Amanda grabbed hold of Ryan’s arm. “My God. Don’t you get what this means? It’s true?”

  “What’s true?”

  “My great-great grandfather said this amulet belonged to some lost tribe. We thought he was crazy. And now we find out it’s connected to these aliens. The question is how did an ancient tribe come upon an alien amulet?”

  She looked at Ryan, who looked as confused as she was.

  “This isn’t adding up,” said Ryan. “Okay, either this amulet belongs to the aliens and they gave it to an ancient tribe, or a lost tribe met the aliens and made the amulet to match the insignia on the alien ship. It still doesn’t explain the connection. And I thought Jill said you were wearing a good luck charm or something.”

  “Yes,” said Amanda. “It’s supposed to be used in times of extreme danger.”

  “What this means,” said Williamson, “and the only thing it means at the moment, is that these aliens were here on Earth before, just as they said. They’ve accused us of something, and now we know they may just be right.”

  “So where do we go from here?” said Amanda.

  “For one,” said Williamson, “we need to figure out how this amulet got in the hands of our dear old Robert Williamson. Either he got it from these aliens directly or he somehow got it from the tribe. What we don’t know is when this tribe was around, what their role in this was, or if they even still exist.

  “Do you have family records or something?” said Ryan.

  “Unfortunately, we do not. But if he left any government records mentioning this tribe or anything else we give a hoot about, that would surely come in handy about now. It just so happens that your dad is researching government records as we speak. Of course we’re on a communications blackout, so we can only hope his trail leads to the right place.”

  “Fat chance of that,” said Ryan. “It doesn’t sound like something that would be on official government records.”

  “Who said anything about official?” said Williamson. “Sit tight, and don’t underestimate your dad.”

  “Well, I guess we’re back to doing what we do best then,” said Ryan. “Sitting and waiting.”

  “Not quite, Ryan,” said Williamson. “I didn’t call you two in here just to share news so you could sit on your thumbs and ponder the universe. I called you here to put you into action.”

  Amanda nearly fell over. She was about as shocked as Ryan appeared to be.

  “Ryan,” said Williamson, “your dad said that when the solar flares hit, they seemed to interfere with the Altarran ships’ systems. He thinks there’s something to that. Unfortunately, it’s not like we can make solar flares on demand. But if we can research the—”

  “Could you repeat that, Dad?” said Amanda. She had been trying to process everything, but she couldn’t believe what she just heard.

  “I said it’s not like we can manufacture solar flares,” said the admiral. “But if we can—”

  “I can,” said Amanda.

  “You can what?”

  “I can create solar flares.”

  Both her father and Ryan were looking at her like she’d lost her mind. “Impossible,” said her dad.

  “Seriously, Amanda,” said Ryan. “How could you do that? We’re years away from anything like that.”

  “Okay, it’s hypothetical,” she said. “But I did a paper on it when I was still trying to be an engineer. CME Reproduction Techniques—you can look it up. If I had access to the right system, given enough time I think I can do it.”

  “Time, time, time,” said her father, “a wonderful asset that I’m afraid we do not have.”

  “But we have to try,” said Amanda.

  “She’s right, sir,” said Ryan.

  Her dad looked at the two of them as if he couldn’t believe they both actually agreed on something. “Alright,” he said. “Approved. I’ll give you and your crew full access to whatever resources and systems you need.”

  Her dad looked right at her. “And by the way,” he added, “I remember that report, now that you mention it. Didn’t understand a damn word of it. But I do know you, Mandy, more than you know. When you put your mind to something, you don’t quit until you’re done. You go do this. And Ryan, maybe you can get the crew working on whatever’s needed to make this happen.”

  “I’d be honored to, sir,” said Ryan.

  As they left the admiral’s office, Amanda realized that for the first time in the last few days, she felt optimistic. Maybe, just maybe, they might be able to help turn the tide.

  Maybe, too, there was a lot more to the amulet and the alleged missing Altarrans. Could the leaders of Earth have been so foolish back then? Would they have been so shortsighted that they thought nobody would come looking for their missing comrades? Maybe we were in the wrong, and now it’s payback time. And what was her great-great-grandfather’s role in all this? All she knew was that he worked for a top secret government agency, and then supposedly he went crazy with all sorts of weird theories. But maybe he was crazy like a fox. Maybe he knew something others didn’t.

  In any case, she couldn’t wait to tell Jill and Nicole about the amulet. Especially Jill. What was it she’d said about too many science fiction movies? One thing about science fiction movies though, was that the good guys always win. But in this case, who were the good guys? In some ways, Amanda was more confused now than ever before.

  Chapter 19

  Attack Plans

  Ryan entered the engineering compound with Amanda. They were discussing Amanda’s theory, and he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. All he could do was shake his head and laugh.

  “So what you’re telling me,” he said, “is in order to test your theory, we need to override the safety protocols of the light-speed generator, then shut down the engines less than a half of a second before a catastrophic failure.”

  “Yes,” she said. “Then when we dump the energy from the overload, we find a way to put it into a matter stream array and aim it at the target. Easy peasey.”

  “And everyone says I’m reckless and crazy. That’s just plain sick. What did your professor say about your thesis?”

  Amanda looked down at the floor. “She said it
was an interesting theory and well written.”

  “And . . .” said Ryan.

  “And that it would be too risky to do in reality. But this isn’t a normal situation.”

  Suddenly he could remember what it was about Amanda that drew him to her when they were younger. She was naïve in a way, but so passionate about things. And she truly was brilliant with anything mathematical or scientific, sometimes to the point where nobody understood what she was talking about. Most of all, he liked her positive energy, and that was something he hadn’t seen in a while. It made him realize how much he missed it. How much he missed her.

  He realized he was staring at her and turned his view to the table where the bridge crew was waiting for them. Everyone looked up. It was hard to read their faces. It was a combination of nervous anxiety at what his and Amanda’s meeting with Williamson was about, and shock that he and Amanda were actually walking together.

  “Okay,” said Tanner, “I want to know right now, who are you and what did you do with the real Ryan and Amanda?”

  “Forget that,” said Jill. “What did the admiral say?”

  “Relax, guys,” said Ryan. “There’s no new news about the fleet or anyone’s families. But we did hear two important pieces of information that may put us back in the game.”

  “What do you mean back?” said Tanner. “We were never in the game.”

  “Will you shut up for once?” said Jill, elbowing him.

  “Well we’re in it now,” said Amanda.

  Everyone quieted down.

  “Apparently,” Ryan continued, “the Altarrans’ shields can be disrupted by solar flares. And that weird amulet that Amanda has? It turns out, it belonged to the missing Altarrans, since it matches the insignia on their ship. So it looks like they did land on Earth after all. Except it was at least a hundred and fifty years ago.”

  Ryan was wondering why Jill was staring at Amanda wide-eyed with her mouth open. He glanced over at Amanda, who looked like she was trying to suppress a grin.

  “So basically,” said Tanner, “all we proved is that Amanda’s great-great-grandfather wasn’t a nut job after all. But we’re still screwed because whoever captured their people is dead now, and so are their people. Which means so are we. So, how exactly does that put is in the game? Or is it the ‘kill all the humans’ game you were referring to?”

  “We don’t know for sure,” said Ryan. “We’re still investigating to see if there are any clues. But it’s a lead.”

  “You mentioned two bits of information,” said Paul. “What’s the other?”

  “The solar flares I mentioned. We can use that to our advantage.”

  “Um, and just how can we use that?” said Paul.

  “Yeah,” said Tanner. “Last I checked, we can’t manufacture solar flares.”

  “Amanda can,” said Ryan.

  Tanner and Paul looked at each other.

  “Oh, now I feel so much better,” said Tanner. “Why didn’t you say so before? And here I was worried.”

  “Somehow I knew you’d be skeptical,” said Ryan. “But hear us out.”

  “Us?” said Tanner. “Ry, have you lost your mind? One minute you can’t talk about your old girlfriend, and now you think she can do the equivalent of walking on water?”

  Ryan shot Tanner a look.

  “I’m going to say this once,” said Ryan. “We have orders from Admiral Williamson. We have two options here. We sit and wait, just like we have been, or we get to work on Amanda’s idea. If she says it can work, I believe her.”

  “Okay, what’s the plan?” said Paul, breaking the tension. “How can we manufacture solar flares?”

  Ryan looked over at Amanda, who explained her theory. As expected, everyone had blank stares, even Jill and Nicole.

  Paul was shaking his head. “Ry, I don’t know, man. This doesn’t sound too feasible. It sounds kinda risky.”

  “Kinda risky?” said Tanner. “We’ll all be blown to bits!”

  “What other choice do we have?” said Ryan. “If we can stop these guys, we need to try. We may be the last line of defense. No, correct that. We are the last line of defense.”

  “I can do this, guys,” added Amanda. “You have to trust me. I wouldn’t put all our lives at risk. But I need your help.”

  “Amanda, I don’t know,” said Paul.

  “She was right about the engine delays,” said Ryan. He didn’t want to rub it in, but he had no choice.

  Paul shook his head. “Okay,” he said. After pausing a few seconds, he added, “I’m in.”

  “I’m in too,” said Jill.

  “Count me in,” added Nicole.

  Tanner just stared at Ryan. “You know, I asked my 106 year old great-grandfather once what he liked most about being 106. He said, ‘no peer pressure.’ Lucky for you, Mr. Thompson, I’m not 106. Alright, I’m in.”

  “Good,” said Ryan. “Thanks, all of you. So, here’s the deal. Admiral Williamson is giving us full run of the engineering department to try Amanda’s theory. What I want you guys to do is set up shop here full-time. Amanda and Paul will run the show. The rest of you help out any way you can.”

  He paused briefly. He wanted to make sure he was being totally clear. “If, and I say if Amanda and Paul can pull this off, I’m going to ask Admiral Williamson if we can head to Earth to use this weapon on the Altarrans. If you guys are with me on this, I want you to spread it around to the rest of the cadets. We’re going to need everybody to be on the same page.”

  Tanner said, “On that, you can count us in, Captain.”

  “Damn right,” added Paul.

  Jill and Nicole were looking at Amanda.

  “If I can get this to work,” said Amanda, “we can beat them. I know we can. We would catch them off guard. Of course, I’d much rather try and bring about a peaceful solution, if possible. But if that fails, this is our only option.”

  “That’s good enough for me,” said Jill.

  Nicole shrugged her shoulders. “Well . . . if all you guys are in, than I guess I am also.”

  “Then it’s settled,” said Ryan. “Glad we got done the easy part.”

  “The easy part?” said Paul. “What’s the hard part?

  “Convincing Amanda’s dad to let us go. But that’s my problem. Listen, guys. I have to go check something out. I’ll be back in a while. You guys get to work.”

  As Ryan was leaving, Tanner walked out with him.

  “You need something?” said Ryan

  “You sure are sharp, Captain,” said Tanner, laughing. Did you figure that out all by yourself?”

  “I’m good like that some times. What’s on your mind?”

  “Remember a couple days ago when we were working on the Nimitz and I told you I was going to bring my own torpedo on board if needed?”

  “Yeah, I remember. What about it?”

  “Well, I was thinking. If Little Red Riding Hood can really bring down the big bad wolf’s shields, I can deliver a special knockout punch.”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Tanner? What kinda knockout punch?”

  “Come on, Ry. Think about it. Remember when we first came here? Nobody is allowed on the western mountains. Do you remember why?”

  “Sure. The place is loaded with uranium and plutonium.” Ryan stopped, realizing what Tanner was getting at. “You can’t be serious, man. That stuff’s been illegal for over seventy years.”

  “Are you for real, Ry? You of all people worrying about what’s legal when the earth is in danger of being destroyed?”

  Even Ryan had to chuckle at that.

  “I’ll tell you what, Tanner,” he said. “If Amanda can figure out a way to get past their shields, and if I can talk her father into letting us actually take these ships to Earth, then by all means, feel free to bring a nuke along for the ride.”

  “I knew you’d see it my way. Well, just in case you can talk the old man into letting us go through with it, I’m gonna find a transport and take a ride to the
western side and pick up what I need. I’ll see you for dinner.”

  As Tanner headed off, Ryan made his way back to his room. It was time to watch the message his father had sent him.

  As soon as he entered the dorm, he took his Slider out of his holster and stretched it out to form a monitor. He tapped the file and watched the screen as his father came into view. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

  “Ryan, I just wanted to let you know that both your brothers are safe. I’m not going to leave you a long-winded message, but I thought you should know, in the event that things don’t work out, I’m sorry for what happened to your mother. I realize that I put my career above my family. That was wrong. I just hope that one day you’ll forgive me. Take care, son. This may be the last time you hear from me.”

  Ryan closed up the Slider. A million different emotions were flooding his mind. He couldn’t believe he was choked up over the thought of losing his father, but he was. All those years of avoiding his dad. All that anger. It figured, now that he finally wanted to talk to him, he might not get the chance. He was beginning to understand the sacrifices his dad had made, and the loneliness he must have felt out in the field. It didn’t excuse what he’d done, but at least he understood it more. All he could do was not make the same mistakes himself in the future. That is, if there was a future.

  The more he thought about it, the more he was beginning to see a recurring theme in life. For everything we do or don’t do, there’s an effect—and a much broader effect than the action at hand. He decided it was time to have a talk with Admiral Williamson. He needed to plead his case, because whatever action they took now would have an impact on the whole world.

  Chapter 20

  The Weapon

  Amanda was running the numbers and checking her calculations when Paul entered the testing chamber. “Did you get the override codes?” she asked. “We’ll need them in order to run the initial test.”

  “Got ‘em,” said Paul. “Though I gotta tell you, the master engineer was pretty pissed off. In fact he didn’t believe me when I told him we had authorization. I actually had to contact your dad and have him personally tell the chief to give me the codes.”

 

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