Cadets

by Edward Miller

  “Where else would I wait? I shall continue to converse with Amanda Williamson. She is a wise female.”

  Ryan smiled. “Yes, Supreme Commander. She is very wise, for a female.”

  Amanda smiled crookedly at Ryan. “And so are you,” she said, “for a male.”

  As Ryan left, he realized he had quite a challenge ahead of him. He needed to convince his father that it was imperative to bring Granthaxe along for the search, if for no other reason than to ensure that nothing went wrong should they somehow locate the missing Altarrans. The last thing they needed would be to find them and not be able to communicate with them. And who knew what that could lead to?

  Chapter 46

  Return To Earth

  Ryan was in his quarters. He wanted privacy for his conversation with his father. After he thought for a few minutes about his approach, he called the bridge.

  “Tanner, have Jill get my father on a secure channel and route him to my quarters.”

  “Will do, Ry.”

  Ryan cut the com link and waited. With all the ups and downs of the last few weeks, he wondered if he was headed for another high or the lowest depths of failure. For some reason, he thought back to a particular moment in his old history class, a viewing of a documentary film about the founding fathers of America. On the screen was a deep orange sun, half covered by the distant horizon. He remembered wondering whether it was a sunset or a sunrise that he was looking at. And just as he’d been thinking that, wouldn’t you know it, a voiceover, representing Benjamin Franklin, had appeared with great drama: Was the sun rising, or was it setting on this great nation?

  In this case, here and now, the fate of the whole planet was at stake, and Ryan wasn’t sure where things were headed. And even if this situation was resolved, Pandora’s Box had been opened. It made him realize how Franklin must have felt.

  His com link beeped. After hesitating a few seconds, he pressed the button to open up the line. His father’s face appeared on the monitor by his desk.

  “Can you hear me, Dad?” he said.

  “I read you loud and clear, Ryan. Any progress?”

  “Well, yes and no. That’s why I’m calling. We’ve reviewed the photos, and it’s pretty clear Amanda’s great-great-grandfather helped the Altarrans somehow. Granthaxe seemed to buy into that. But we can’t get any further unless we can read the microchip. We need your blessing to move forward.”

  “What exactly was on those photographs?”

  “Well, they showed pictures of all four of the missing Altarrans, some of them with government officials. There was a picture of their damaged spacecraft, too. It appears they were held captive for quite a few years. They’re huge, by the way. And hairy. And at least twelve feet tall. If I didn’t know better I’d say they were the same race as Chewbacca, only they’re a lot bigger. There are photographs with them in chains over different time periods in the early part of the twenty-first century. The last two photographs were what sold the deal, though.”

  “Sold it how?”

  “Well, one shows the queen placing the amulet around Captain Williamson’s neck. The second picture shows the four Altarrans being loaded onto a helicopter. It seems Williamson did help them.”

  “And how is that news? Seems to me we knew this already, though I suppose this supports that theory.”

  “Yeah, but who took the picture? It appears Captain Williamson had help—maybe some other officers who helped him get the Altarrans off the base safely.”

  “Still, that doesn’t help us much,” said the admiral. “We don’t even know who these other officers are.”

  “We do have one other thing though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “There was a sentence handwritten on the last photo. It said, Look to the Sentinels. Does that mean anything to you?”

  “Look to the sentinels? Hell, just what we need, another riddle.”

  “Another one?”

  “Yes indeed. Our friend Williamson left another message in his desk, and it’s even more cryptic than this one.”

  “What did it say?”

  “Let me see, I have it here.” Ryan watched as his father took out a folded piece of paper. “Here it is. It says, ‘The queen is with her loyal subjects.’”

  “Could that be the sentinels?”

  “Maybe, but there’s more. The next line says, ‘Inside the truth is sealed.’ It doesn’t say inside what.”

  “We found the microchips inside the amulet,” said Ryan. “Could it mean that?”

  “Could very well be. You may be right on the money there.”

  “What does the rest say?”

  “It says, ‘Only the worthy who see the ten shall have the truth revealed.’”

  “The worthy who see the ten?” said Ryan. “Well, hopefully we’re worthy. Granthaxe did say the amulet said to trust Amanda. And he seems to trust us. But what could the ten mean? Unless it means ten sentinels. Maybe that’s who we have to find.”

  “Again, you could be right, but we’re just guessing. We need to see what’s on that microchip.”

  “Yes, about that,” said Ryan. This was the part he was delaying for as long as he could. “It seems the supreme commander has some demands, but he can probably help us if we meet them.”

  “Demands? I should have known you’d save the most important issue for last.”

  “Well, sir, I remember a certain career officer once telling me to always save the most important negotiations for the end of the discussion.”

  “So we’re into negotiations now. You know something, Ryan, your mother was right about you.”

  “About me, sir?”

  “She always said you’d end up being just like me.”

  Ryan had to laugh. It felt surprisingly good to be talking to his father about his mother. “Well,” he said, “I guess there could be worse people in life to be like.”

  “That’s debatable. Now about Granthaxe, what does he want?”

  “He wants to be involved in our search. Before you say no, understand that if the Altarrans are hidden, they’re not going to come to the surface with a bunch of humans carrying guns searching for them. Plus, Granthaxe says they have the power to camouflage their fur. In all honesty, we need his help.”

  “Ryan, what you’re saying makes sense, but how the hell are we going to hide an eight-hundred-pound gorilla, literally. I can tell you that the defense ministers will argue from now to next week. And I can just imagine Ian Rupert going for this. He and I don’t exactly see eye to eye.”

  “I realize it’s not easy, sir, but this isn’t a normal situation.”

  Ryan waited as his father seemed to me mulling it over.

  “Luckily, the president owes me a favor,” said the admiral. “This might be the time to call it in. Meanwhile, tell Granthaxe we’ll make it happen. Leave the rest to me.”

  “It’s a wise decision, sir.”

  “Of course, it is. I made it. I’ll talk to you as soon as I hear from the president. And, son?”

  “Yes?”

  “It’s good to be working with you.”

  “Thanks, sir . . . Dad. Same here.”

  Ryan headed back to the conference room. He couldn’t wait to tell the supreme commander that they’d soon be heading to Earth.

  Upon entering the conference room, he could see Granthaxe and Amanda having a discussion. Granthaxe turned and addressed Ryan.

  “Amanda Williamson tells me that on your planet females command warships. I find that most fascinating. On Altarra, only males can command. And yet she assures me that your females are superior at command.”

  “They also have great imaginations, Supreme Commander.”

  Amanda smirked at Ryan.

  “Not to change the subject,” he said, “but the Fleet Admiral has agreed that you should come to Earth with us. In fact, he insists on it.”

  “Ah, this is indeed good news,” said Granthaxe. “Tell me, Ryan Thompson. This Fleet Admiral, is he the father you sp
oke of, from which you sought permission?”

  “He is.”

  “Then he should be proud of his son. You are a true warrior. Now, if you will please take me back to my ship. I must prepare.”

  Ryan looked at Amanda, who shrugged.

  “Wait a minute,” he said to Granthaxe. “Your ship? I was thinking you’d come with us.”

  “My ship comes with me, Ryan Thompson. Surely you do not think I would leave my ship alone in orbit unattended.”

  Ryan tried to imagine an entire ship of Altarrans coming to Earth, not to mention his dad’s likely reaction. For now, though, he decided to play it cool with his formidable guest.

  “Of course not, Supreme Commander. I’ll have Amanda fly you back, if that’s okay with you.”

  Amanda looked at him as if he’d just lost his mind.

  “Of course, Captain Ryan Thompson,” said Granthaxe. “Amanda Williamson is a most accomplished pilot. Not to mention she is a good conversationalist. As you say, she has an excellent imagination. As soon as you are ready to return to Earth, please inform me. We shall follow you.”

  “I’ll contact you as soon as we get the orders, Supreme Commander.” Looking at Amanda, Ryan said, “I guess you can go to the cargo bay and see to it the supreme commander gets back to his ship.”

  He leaned in and whispered to her. “Just go along. I’ll worry about my father.”

  “I’ll use my great imagination,” she said.

  Ryan laughed and made his way to the bridge. He knew he wouldn’t be laughing in a few minutes though. Somehow, he had to bamboozle his dad into having the president authorize a whole ship of Altarrans to land on Earth. Hiding one Altarran was bad enough, but a ship the size of an arena was another story altogether.

  Chapter 47

  Earth Defense

  Fleet Headquarters

  “Are you out of your goddamn mind?” was the reply on the other line that got Ryan trying to muffle the com speaker with an empty folder. He didn’t even need to see the video screen to know his father’s face must have been a deep scarlet color by now.

  “Dad, there’s no choice. When a twelve–foot-tall creature tells you he needs his ship, you just don’t argue. It was the only way he’d help us.”

  “There’s always a choice, Ryan.”

  “You don’t need to remind me.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Nothing. It’s just that I need you to trust me. We can mask their ship on radar. We can just say we’re bringing in our ships for repair. Battle damage and all that. That could work, couldn’t it?” Ryan knew it could, but he wanted his dad to feel a sense of control over the final decision.

  “I suppose it could, sure, but . . . aw, hell, give me a minute. I’ll call you back.”

  The line went dead. Ryan wasn’t sure if something else had suddenly come up, or if his father was actually taking his advice and contacting the president.

  Ten minutes later, the com line beeped again. Ryan pressed the button.

  “I spoke with the president,” said Thompson.

  “And?”

  “And he was pissed as expected. But your old man has some clout. He went for it, with some stipulations.”

  “That’s great news!”

  “Yeah? Wait till you hear the stipulations, and then say that. The president says this mission has to be completely unauthorized.”

  “Unauthorized? So is he giving his approval or not?”

  “Officially, no. This means the operation must be totally silent. Even our own government can’t know about it. Not even Rupert. As far as everyone’s concerned, we’re bringing in damaged ships for repair. If there’s a slip-up, it’ll be considered a rogue action by the fleet commander. In case you haven’t been following, that’s me. I don’t have to tell you the consequences for that.”

  Ryan was confused about how all this would even work.

  “But sir,” he said, “how do we hide it from our own people? We’d need their help to even carry out this kind of mission.”

  “Leave that to me. Meanwhile, you have an even bigger job. You’ve got to convince your giant friend to go along with this. This is a silent operation, not a welcoming ceremony. Can you handle that?”

  “I’ll try, sir.”

  “Trying is for cadets. You’re a captain now, son. Make it happen. Over and out.”

  Ryan sat contemplating as the line went dead. He wondered what he’d say to Granthaxe. He thought back to his father’s words. A silent operation, not a welcoming ceremony. He hadn’t thought of it, but a welcoming ceremony was probably exactly what Granthaxe was expecting. This wasn’t going to be easy.

  He made his way to the bridge. Amanda had probably already returned by now. And Granthaxe was no doubt already preparing his ship for departure to Earth.

  When he entered the bridge, Amanda was there waiting.

  “Welcome back, oh superior one,” he said, smiling. Amanda smirked back at him. “I take it our guest was returned safely,” he said. “What’s our status?”

  “All systems are operating, some barely. Course and angle of descent for Earth are locked and loaded. The fleet’s ready for departure.”

  “Okay, just keep everyone put. I’m awaiting instructions from my father.”

  “What did he say? Are we authorized?”

  “Sort of.”

  He could see Amanda and Tanner looking at each other in bewilderment.

  “Captain,” said Jill, “I have the Fleet Admiral on the encrypted channel. Putting him on monitor now.”

  Ryan watched as his dad appeared on the monitor.

  “That was fast,” said Tanner.

  “Ryan, crew,” said the admiral. “I think you’ll agree that I’m not exaggerating when I say that we’re about to undertake the most important mission in the history of mankind. Code name is Operation Trojan Horse. As I’ve briefed Ryan, this is a silent, I repeat, silent operation. I trust the Altarrans are on board with this. You will have your cadet fleet flank the Altarran ship on all sides for a nighttime arrival on Earth. We will commence operation immediately. Six of our defense fleet ships will join you. We need to form a perfect square around the Altarran ship.”

  The admiral paused for a moment, no doubt to let everyone digest what he had said. Ryan wasn’t about to reveal anything about his lack of progress with Granthaxe yet, but he did have a nagging question.

  “What about the arrangements down on Earth?” he asked.

  “I was getting to that,” said the admiral. “I’ve arranged clear airspace for our trajectory under the guise of allowing us a safe path to bring our damaged ships in for repair. On Earth, the base has already been locked down. The cover story is that they need to keep our damaged ships in a secure hangar. In reality, that’s where we’ll hide the Altarran ship. A fleet of supersonic fighters will escort us in. I can’t stress enough, this is an unauthorized and silent mission. Any help we’re getting is from people that are either personally loyal to me or do not know the full details of the mission. Now, are there any other questions?”

  “Sir,” said Ryan, “the defense fleet is international. How can we assure they won’t alert their nations to what’s going on?”

  “Blood is thicker than water, Ryan. You should know something about that. And these soldiers are my blood. The Altarrans, well, they’re a different story. Are they on board with this?”

  “They are, sir.” He was lying, but soon enough, he’d make sure it was the truth.

  “Then let’s proceed. If there are no further questions, I’m signing out. And God bless us all.”

  Ryan looked around the room at the blank stares.

  “No further questions, sir,” he said.

  The line went dead.

  “What the hell are we going to do now?” said Tanner.

  “Don’t worry,” said Ryan. “I’ve got this.”

  “Well that’s good,” said Jill, “because I have the supreme commander on the com. He wants to talk to y
ou.”

  Ryan had hoped for at least a few minutes to prepare his approach, but no such luck.

  “Put him on speaker, Jill.”

  “Okay,” she said. “You’re live, Captain.”

  “Supreme Commander,” said Ryan, “are you ready for our mission?”

  “I am. I have but a single question for you, Ryan Thompson.”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “What are your ceremonial customs to greet my arrival? After all, I do not want to destroy one of your kind if they are making a pleasant gesture unknown to me.”

  Ryan looked at Tanner, who was pointing an imaginary gun at his own head. Wow, did his dad ever call this one.

  “I’m glad you asked that, Supreme Commander. I was about to contact you with those very instructions.”

  “Ah, synchronized brains at a great distance think alike.”

  Tanner almost lost it, and even Amanda was trying to keep from laughing.

  “Supreme Commander, we have a certain ritual that you might find unusual. I hope you will accept this as our custom.”

  “Reveal it to me then.”

  “Whenever we have important or illustrious visitors, it is our custom to surround their vehicle on all sides, whether by air or by land. And they must travel in complete radio silence. It’s our way of saying that they’re revered and protected. It signifies that we’re not worthy of viewing them until they’re received. And so we ask for complete silence.”

  “This is an unusual request indeed, Ryan Thompson.”

  “It’s purely symbolic, mind you. But it would do us a great honor if you accepted these conditions. In fact, some of our people believe their souls will be damaged if they hear a revered person’s voice while still in transit.”

  “Strange that we have never observed this custom of your people.”

  “With all due respect, Supreme Commander, you wouldn’t have.”

  “Damaged souls, indeed,” said Granthaxe. “Well then Ryan Thompson, if their souls are damaged, then my big feet will prove useful.”

  What the—

  “Supreme Commander, are you referring to soles on the feet? That’s a different spell—”

  “I know the double use of your word soul. You may tell the Tanner human that I have now mastered what he called a sense of . . . humor. As it is, I graciously acknowledge your honor and your custom. On behalf of the Altarran people, we accept your great tribute. I will await your instructions.”