Rais moved towards the young officer and placed his hand on the ship master's knee. “You can’t think like that. This is your first command. You need to focus on doing your job the best you can and keep the crew alive and whole. Worry about the politics when you make Admiral.” Rais smiled and moved towards the hatch off the bridge. “We’ll have enough challenges to face without having to worry about the bigger picture.” And with that final piece of advice, the veteran walked off the bridge.
Ranix shook his head again and looked down at both arms of the chair. It was about time he started to figure out how all the systems operated. He knew that the crew had the entire day to report on board and that there was an excellent chance that many would leave it to the last minute to do so.
Tapping the chairs holo-pad, Ranix brought up the ship’s crew manifest and was pleased to see that all the crewmembers that had been present when the ship had crashed on Terra were still assigned to the Epsilon. The ship was allocated its full complement of drones but noticed that there was no Sentinel Commander unit onboard. He made a mental note to raise that point with Commodore Smid and started to run through some of the other checklists and notes on modifications. From his first impression, the Epsilon had been zeroed to factory specifications, and except the removal of the intelligence suite, and the additional facilities for the humans, everything was just the way it was, except some minor changes, like the chair he was sitting on.
Scrolling through the holo-pad, he finally found the instructions for the chair, and like any good officer, started from the top. Luckily for him, whoever had written the text spoke in a language that a non-technical individual like Ranix could understand, unlike so many military manuals. Making himself comfortable, he settled in for a long read.
42
The surgery to remove the First Lady’s cancer only lasted a few hours and were followed up by a period in a healing bath, and while the operation might have been routine by Alliance standards, a few of the doctors from various universities that had flown in prior to the President’s arrival to observe the procedure were still shocked by the level of technology that had been displayed.
Other than the final result, which is the one that mattered, Joe was completely unable to grasp the technical mumbo-jumbo that the Alliance medical team was saying during the debrief. Of course, Rhea and the rest of Visitor Liaison Team understood some of what they were hearing, perhaps except Doctor Chan, who did not have a medical degree but ensured in-depth coverage of the entire post surgery briefing.
What little Joe could understand revolved around the use of nanotechnology and the ability to simultaneously kill the tumour and replace cancerous tissue with healthy tissue instantaneously. Perhaps the most significant result from the successful operation was that the world had just witnessed a very public figure having their life saved by the Alliance, which Joe hoped would pave the way for medical aid that Lord Soturi promised.
When the President and the First Lady both walked off the Ataries on the 19th of December, there was a sense of hope in the air. The President spoke briefly to Lord Sotrui on the beach before the US leader, and his wife boarded the shuttle for the quick flight south to a waiting Air Force One.
Once the sand had settled on the beach, and the shuttle had disappeared into the sky, Soturi approached Joe. “Congratulations on your promotion, Colonel.”
Joe was still trying to decide if the translation device that was jabbed into the side of his neck was giving him random accents, or was attempting replicate how the speaker actually spoke in Universal, either way, Soturi had a broad accent that reminded him of something he heard once in a Bollywood film.
“Thank you.”
“I trust that the President will get support for the medical drop, so would you please provide a list of possible target sites for the medical teams as soon as possible.”
“I will.” Joe looked to the sky as another shuttle landed to embark some of the reinforcements that had been landed in advance of the President’s arrival. It was the first time in a long time that Joe felt that he was on a military post. Lines of troops waiting to board transports, fighting positions ready to repel possible attackers, even the occasional fly-by by a joint human-Alliance patrol. It almost felt like home, he thought to himself.
“There is something else, Colonel.”
Joe brought his gaze back to the Jin-Mona.
“The Alliance would like you to take a diplomatic mission to Mechcharga.”
Joe blinked twice, “You want me, to go out there?” He cocked his elbow and pointed up at the sky.
“Yes, Colonel. Roughly 1500 light years, to be precise.”
Joe lowered his arm back to his side. “Who would I be meeting with?”
“Alliance Diplomacy, possibly the Princess. The final itinerary has yet to be established.”
Joe nodded. “When?”
“In a few days, possibly a week.”
“I’d have to talk to my team about such a trip, and obviously the President and the United Nations.” Joe looked at the beach and gently kicked the hard packed sand with his shoe.
“I understand that there are many factors to consider. Perhaps we can discuss the matter in the morning.” Soturi suggested.
Joe stuck out his hand. “A good plan.” The pair shook, and Joe started to move up the beach towards the newly appointed VLT facilities.
The once rough path to Rhea’s parent's property had been heavily manicured and made fit for everyday use. Lighting had been installed, and a cable had been run about ten feet off the ground, and directly above the trail, connecting the Ataries and the VLT base with hard-line communications, and a dolly like drone system that ferried various documents and supplies between the two.
Another addition to the island since the Coalition attack were joint Human-Alliance foot patrols. A pair of humans were regularly paired with a pair of organic Alliance troops and a Sentinel for around the clock security sweeps. In fact, the level of cooperation that the Canadians were displaying with the Alliance was impressive, even by Joe’s standards. It reasoned that they knew that if they wanted to be on the winning side of another encounter with the Coalition, they needed the backing of the Alliance.
Joe had always had a bit of a soft spot for Canada growing up. He had always regarded them as the US’s younger brother, but their acceptance of the Alliance presence was extraordinary. None of the locals on Lasqueti had moved off the island since the Epsilon had arrived, and they hadn’t been deterred by the recent attack and had been largely spared the same devastation that had been rained down on Vancouver.
When Joe reached Rhea’s parents land, he noticed that some of the local troops were kicking a football about with some of the Alliance forces under some floodlights that had been erected. The off-world forces had taken off their armour and were dashing about the pitch desperately trying to keep up with the locals. It was times like these that reminded Joe that sport was one of the great unifiers, and in this instance, in this war, it had brought Earth into the galactic fold.
The modular structures that the Alliance had set up for the VLT were on the same spot as Rhea’s parent's house, the remnants of which had been removed days after the Coalition attack. Entering the structure, Joe went to the room he shared with Rhea and dropped off his coat before making his way to the dining facility, where the rest of the team was enjoying a dish that Doctor Ji-woon swore was a South Korean special.
“Greetings, Colonel Hunt!” Keegan boomed. A bottle of Horseshoe Bay firmly gripped in his left hand.
“I’ll take one of those!” Joe shouted back, a big grin on his face.
Rhea pulled out the chair that was next to her at the dining table and gave Joe a kiss on the cheek when he sat down next to her. “All good?”
He turned and kissed her on the lips. “All good.”
Keegan parked a fresh beer in front of Joe and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “How are Mr and Mrs President?” He asked, returning to his seat.
&n
bsp; “They are well,” Joe commented, taking a sip from the cold bottle. “But there is a new development.”
That got Doctor Chan’s attention. She always liked new, and she knew that new was almost always a good story. “Oh?”
Joe took another sip of the cold beer and set the bottle down, turning it so that the label was facing him, just how his occasionally anal-retentive mind liked it. “Lord Soturi wants me, and possibly a portion of the team to go to Mechcharga, and meet with some of their people there.”
“Wow.” Lysa blurted out. “And?”
“I don’t know yet. It’s a lot to take onboard.” Joe replied.
“This is pretty mega,” Charles commented, nodding to himself. “to boldly go.” He smiled and looked around the table. “I’m in.”
Joe smiled at the South Korean. “Noted.” He looked back around the table. “Unfortunately, someone is going to have to stay here and mind the store.”
There was a moment of silence until Keegan chimed in. “I’ve spent too much time away from my wife, and she was planning on coming up to stay with me for a while anyway. She’d kill me if I suddenly went away, it’s been months since we spent any real time together.”
Rhea gently put her hand on Keegan’s shoulder. “This won’t be the last opportunity like this, Keegan.”
“You’re probably right, and hell, by the time you get back, I’ll have solved all five tasks that are the prerequisites for Alliance membership.” He said confidently, chest puffed out.
Everyone smiled. It was agreed. They were going on a trip, and the store was going to be minded by a man they could trust.
43
The next morning, Joe and the rest of the VLT went to the Ataries as usual for their daily briefing with Dinalis, but on arrival at the beach, they were met by a Bell CH-146 Griffon, and an infuriated looking Premier of British Columbia, Jackson Kelly.
“Colonel Hunt!” The Premier shouted as soon as he saw Joe emerge from the wood line. “Might I have a word?”
Joe looked at Rhea, “Were we expecting visitors this morning?”
“No.” She shook her head.
Looking around the beach, Joe could tell that the Premier's arrival had not been scheduled due to the pair of Light Sentinels that were standing next to the local provincial head. A sign that someone on the ship was not happy to have an uninvited guest.
Joe jogged over to the Premier and stuck out his hand. “How may I help you?”
“Premier Kelly.” The Premier quickly shook Joe’s hand then dropped his hands to his waist. “Listen, Colonel, I’ve spent every day on the phone to Ottawa since Vancouver was attacked, and the Prime Minister has reassured me that everything was being done to assist my constituents, but I don’t think that is the case. Your friends,” Kelly pointed at the PCS that was parked nearby, “Invited this attack on our planet, and my Provence, and I’d like to know what they plan on doing to assist with putting it back together?”
Joe looked at the two Lights, “That will be all, thank you.” The machines acknowledged the orders and moved back to a position closer to the ship. “Premier, first may I say that it was not wise to just fly in here. You’re lucky you weren’t shot down.” Kelly opened his mouth to rebuttal but was cut off. “Secondly, I’m fairly confident that your Prime Minister, and the UN both agreed that they wanted to keep the Alliance forces on Earth contained to this island. They explicitly stated that they did not want to insert them into a populated area at this time.”
“I don’t care about what they think is best. I’ve got the mayor of Vancouver calling me every hour asking for more assistance. The engineer battalions that have been tasked with clearing Vancouver are utterly incapable of dealing with the level of destruction inflicted on the city. We need more resources, and your buddies are the ones how should be putting some assets into play!”
“He’s right.” Came the whisper in the back of Joe’s head.
“What the!” Joe spun around, looking for the source of the voice. His eyes were darting about, looking for the suspect, before it dawned on him that it had to be Soturi.
“Make a decision, Colonel.” The voice said.
Joe shook his head.
“Something wrong, Colonel?” The Premier asked with a concerned look on his face.
“No, nothing. Sorry.” Joe smiled. “I trust you’ve never had a psychic in your head.”
The Premier shook his head. “Luckily I haven’t.”
Joe closed his eyes and concentrated. “What can we deliver?” He asked silently.
“A heavy engineer division within 36 hours.” The voice in his head replied.
“All right, Premier, I can have additional forces here in 36 hours.” Joe looked over his shoulder to Keegan who was standing only two metres away. “Doctor Beck,” he waved Keegan to join them.
The two men shook hands. “Doctor Beck is taking over local operations for the time being.” Joe looked at Keegan, “Keegan, you got the bit about the engineer relief?”
Keegan nodded, “I did.”
Joe smiled. “Excellent.” He looked back to the Premier. “I trust that you are easily reachable, that is if you haven’t been fired by the PM tomorrow.” Joe joked.
“I should be.”
“Excellent,” Joe said, putting his hand out for the politician to shake. “I’ll leave you two to settle the details.”
Leaving Keegan with the Premier, Joe rejoined Rhea and the rest of the team as they boarded the Ataries. Rhea was by Joe’s side and gave him a slightly concerned look.
“I’m not sure that the President or the PM will approve your authorisation of the use of Alliance forces, it is against the UNs wishes, even if it is in the best interests of the people of Vancouver.” She said with a hint of caution in her voice.
“Things are shifting fast. You went to Iraq with the big guy, and the President just had his wife’s life saved by the Alliance. People need to prepare themselves for the day when Alliance personnel walk down their streets, not as occupiers, but as friends. Soturi has got 200 medical teams ready to deploy, so we need to cut through the bullshit and solve some problems.”
Rhea said nothing. Joe was fairly sure that she agreed with him on most issues, perhaps just not his methodology. The pair walked in silence until they reached the massive cauldron that housed the brain of the Ataries. They were met by Sector Prefect Dinalis who had news regarding the VLT diplomatic mission to Alliance territory.
“I have news from Alliance Diplomacy,” he stated, looking slightly out of breath. “They are sending a ship which should arrive in two days, but before that happens, we are going to have you take our Moulding tablets, to enable you to breathe the air that is found on Alliance ships and on our worlds.”
Joe looked at Rhea, then back to Dinalis. “Say what?” He shook his head. “I’ve got an implant on the side of my neck, and now I’ve got a bionic leg, and you want to give me some sort of pill that’s going to affect what air I can breathe?” He looked at Rhea. “Tell me you have an opinion on this.” He said dryly.
Rhea smiled at Joe, and then looked at Dinalis. “That sounds like a brilliant idea.”
Joe offered a forced smile at looked back at Dinalis. “Excellent. I’m excited.” He said with a beaming smile on his face.
Dinalis nodded, and the trio continued on their way to the lift to the upper level along with the rest of the team. There were some serious specifics to work out before the team was able to jump out of the Sol System and be the first humans to go visit another developed world.
The long conference table had the usual suspects of Alliance personnel, ninety percent of whom never said a word, just jotted down notes on data pads and kept a detailed record of the proceedings. Dinalis, and now Soturi were the only ones to speak during most of the meetings, occasionally instructing their subordinates to carry out this or that task. The whole thing was managed from the top, and delegation was the order of business.
Doctor Chan might have been the face of th
e VLT to the rest of the world, conducting daily news conferences and interviews, but she rarely contributed to these meetings, but the opportunity that was being presented to the VLT was such that it got her attention.
“Sector Prefect, what level of documentation is going to be authorised once we enter Alliance territory?” she asked, leaning forward on the table, hands-free of mobile devices for a change.
“That depends on a variety of factors. Your local point of contact with Alliance Diplomacy will have certain rules of engagement for you, as will the heads of the local security detachments.” Dinalis shook his head. “It is very hard to tell at this point what level of access you will be granted.”
Chan nodded. “That I understand, but assuming that we are given some form of access, how will I be able to transmit the data back to Earth?”
“The local communications network will be able to communicate anything you like, video or voice or data to this ship. Whoever you designate as your replacement here will have access to the information almost immediately.”
Chan nodded. “Excellent,” Dinalis replied. “Other questions?”
Doctor Ji-woon leant forward, “Regarding the moulding tablets, I know that they’ve worked well for your forces, but how can we be sure that they’ll work on us? And how long will they last?”
“An excellent question, Doctor. We’ve had access to your DNA since then Major Hunt was incapacitated by the Sentinels last summer. With that data, we have been able to modify the nano-bots in the moulding tablets to adapt to your physiology. I am confident that there will be no ill effects of their use, and would estimate that the pills will be active for up to three weeks Earth time.” Dinalis concluded.
“How many doses are we getting?” Lysa asked.
“You’ll be given one to take before you board the ship that will get you to Alliance space and a second tablet to take if your stay in Alliance territory extends beyond the three-week mark.” He replied.
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