by Ira Tabankin
“I want to know why you launched that stupid attempt to hit the moon?”
“The peace-loving people of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic wanted to show the world how advanced we are. We have the ability to launch rockets at the moon, and we can rain nuclear weapons on our enemy anywhere on the planet.”
“You think your technology is so good? You think you will be able to defeat the enemy without my help? If so, I will gladly take my leave and not return. I will help the Americans who will quickly pass you. If you attempt to strike them, I will lay waste to your entire country. The little earthquake will be nothing compared to the rocks that I will rain down on your country.”
“You have one small ship. You can’t destroy a country the size of the USSR.”
“Let me give you a small demonstration of my small ship’s capability. When we leave, I will destroy this airport. I suggest when we leave, you leave this area as quickly as possible. I don’t want you to go off the agreed-upon plan again. I suggest you use the cover story you had an accident with an experimental weapon when asked what happened to the airport.”
“We can hit the moon. We are ready to show the world what we’re capable of. You do not scare me.”
“Building large missiles is on the plan so here’s what I’m willing to do, I’ll assist you in programming your guidance so you’ll hit the moon, but in exchange you will agree to follow the plan. You will NOT strike the Americans, or I will destroy you, do you agree?”
“If you will help us hit the moon so we can show the world our power, then yes, we will follow your plan.” Khrushchev thought to himself, for now, he’s not only an alien, but he’s also a fool. The American General he flies around with is too stupid to realize we’re going to suck everything useful out of the alien before we arrange a little accident for him. I think he’s too dangerous to capture alive. Yes, I’ll follow his plan as long as it's useful for my plans. Once we have his guidance technology we won’t have any further need of the alien.
Khrushchev replied, “I will agree. I have one more condition, which is no more earthquakes.”
“I will agree unless you break our agreement. Now, if I were you, I’d return to the city because when we leave, no matter what you agreed to, I am still going to destroy this base to teach you a lesson.”
“You can’t. Do you have any idea how many new and very expensive aircraft we have on this base? We reached an agreement…”
“We did and I never break my word…”
Khrushchev left as quickly as he could, he told his driver to drive as quickly as possible back to Moscow. Everett and Kalteck silently lifted off. Once the ship reached 85,000 feet above the base, Kalteck addressed his AI, “AI, commence the destruction of the airbase below us.”
“Level of destruction requested?”
“Level one will suffice. There’s no need to use antimatter.”
A moment later, three bright lights flashed from the bottom of Kalteck’s ship. Everywhere the beams touched were vaporized. Hangars, advanced jet fighters, cargo planes, supply depots, and the control tower all exploded as their atomic matter broke apart. Supply rooms which had been buried underground to protect them were destroyed. The thick concrete runways were vaporized.
Khrushchev saw the bright flashes behind his car. A moment later his car was knocked off the road when the blast waves from the vaporized base stuck him. Hundreds of millions of rubles destroyed. I will find a way to kill that alien and his little Yankee lapdog. The next morning the Director of the CIA received a classified report saying the Soviet’s had suffered some sort of weapons accident at a secret Air Force base on the outskirts of Moscow. The analysts said they didn’t know what could have caused the level of destruction their overhead satellite showed other than a nuclear weapon.
The CIA asked the Air Force to send a spy plane to capture samples of the atmosphere, which said there wasn’t any radiation. That confused and scared the analysts. They wondered what the Soviets were developing that could completely destroy a large Air Force base. The Director of the CIA sent the report back with a note, “Find out what happened here!”
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President Eisenhower met Kalteck and Everett in his cabin at Camp David. His ship was covered with a camouflage netting so no one could see it. The President said, “Kalteck, in America, we have presidential elections every four years, our next one will be next year. My Vice President, Richard Nixon, will be running for my party. The Democratic candidate hasn’t been selected yet, my gut tells me it’s going to be the young Senator from Massachusetts, John Kennedy.”
“Mr. President, I understand your selection process, I don’t understand why you are bringing it up to me now.”
“I would like you to brief Mr. Nixon. I believe he will follow me as President, and as you may know, First Secretary Khrushchev will be visiting America, and Mr. Nixon will escort him. Since Khrushchev knows about you, he will most likely think my Vice President knows. I would rather we bring him up to date so he doesn’t learn about you from the Soviets, which could create questions I don’t want to have to answer.”
“Mr. President, can Mr. Nixon be trusted?”
“That is a very interesting question. I believe in respect to any national security questions he can. On the other hand, he wasn’t my choice. He has some personality issues which concern me. When all of the issues are balanced, I believe he has a need to know.”
Kalteck asked, “Mr. President, what about Senator Kennedy?”
“If he wins the election, there will be ninety days before he assumes the office. We can brief him then. I don’t trust him to keep his mouth shut from the rest of his family. His father will most likely use the information to his personal advantage.”
“I will do as you ask. I want to congratulate you on the launch of your new satellites and the development of your X15 which is going to be a very important plane in your development of the materials required to withstand high temperatures and teach your pilots how function at speeds that exceed five times the speed of sound. Later you will develop weapons which travel at Mach 5.”
“Thank you for your assistance, we couldn’t have accomplished what we did without you.”
“Mr. President don’t forget the work General Yahnig has contributed. He’s spent thousands of hours working with your aviation and technology companies while also managing the agency that covers up the hundreds of sightings of craft like mine.”
“Yes, I can’t ever forget what the General accomplishes for us. I’d like to discuss those sightings, are they your people or others like you? Do they represent a threat to us?”
“Mr. President, life is a threat. Every living thing wants to live and wants to provide a better life for their offspring. You need to understand your planet is very attractive to the species which are carbon-based and breathe oxygen like mine and yours. There are many thousands of species who search the galaxy for new suitable planets. Most will perform recon missions. They will only look, listen, and then leave. A few will hang around. Most of them will realize my people are already here so they won’t attack. If I wasn’t here, the story might be different. Some believe they are strong enough to take what they want. And some are like you, they are naturally curious, so they want to understand humans and the animals that live here.”
“How long have these races visited the Earth?”
“Since before your recorded history. I explained how we assisted your development. At such time, there were also other races who visited the Earth. There were some who walked the primitive Earth when my people were here. I am preparing you, so you’ll never have to worry about any of them attacking you, if, I repeat, if you follow my instructions. Are you on schedule for the testing of your missile-launching submarine?”
“Yes, we call her the George Washington…”
“Ah, yes, your first President. You named your first missile submarine after your President, who was also a warrior. I approve. I will watch the launch from my ship. W
hen will the Marshall Space Flight Center in your Huntsville stand up?”
“I will be there in June to officially open it, though NASA has already begun using it. The center will be our primary location for new missile development. With your assistance, we will be able to put men in orbit and then one day reach our moon.”
“Excellent. I am pleased with your progress. I have checked NASA’s designs for the one and two manned capsules, and I’ve made some minor adjustments to improve their reentry. The bottom shield needed to be a little more rounded and the parachute a little larger. I also suggested an emergency exit lever for the pilots in case something goes wrong when they land or if they need to quickly exit the capsule before the recovery teams arrive. When do you want me to meet Mr. Nixon? I suggest sooner as I never know when I may have to return to space.”
“He is here…”
“He is HERE? What if he saw me land?”
“I made sure the Secret Service kept him undercover so he couldn’t see anything. I can have him brought over here if you’re ready.”
“I’m prepared to meet him. Remember, anyone who breaks my secret will be terminated.”
“I know. I will make sure he will know and agree.”
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On their flight back to Nevada, Kalteck told Everett, “I don’t trust this Mr. Nixon. I do not believe he will be elected. There is a very dark side to his soul. He is only concerned with his own legacy and power. He could be very dangerous to my plan and your country. I believe the best thing for your planet is if he has what you call an accident.”
“We can’t do that. He’s going to be our next President. He’s currently our Vice President. Please don’t terminate him.”
“I will not do anything. I would suggest you watch your back. This person has a very dark side to him. Be very careful around him. He will do anything and crush anyone to get what he wants. He does not believe my story. Did you see the way he looked at you?”
“Are you sure he doesn’t believe the story?”
“I know when your people lie to me. He lied through the entire meeting. At first, he was shocked. Next, he spent the three hours planning how he could use me. He wants to replace you with someone he can control. I wonder how that Senator Kennedy is.”
“I don’t think he has a chance. The first mark he had against him is he’s a Roman Catholic. Many in my country will believe he’s more loyal to the Church than to the country. I don’t think he can or will win.”
“Would you like to place a bet on the outcome of the election? I understand this will be the first time the two presidential candidates will debate on your television, once your people see Mr. Nixon under pressure, they will reconsider him. I will bet you one case of beer; my bet is on Kennedy.”
Chapter 4
“You owe me a case of beer. I told you Kennedy would win the election,” laughed Kalteck.
“He almost didn’t. It was the closest election we’ve ever had…”
“Everett, you know that close only counts in nuclear and antimatter weapons. Close in elections means nothing. No one remembers the loser, only the winner gets to write history. When do you think it will be time to meet your new President? He is very young, younger than you. I hope he is wise beyond his years or your planet is going to have very serious issues. The following two decades are going to be very important in your races development.”
Everett nodded, “I’m sure the President will contact us. Until then, we’ll follow your plan and hope for the best.”
Kalteck quickly responded, “He ran on a platform of a missile gap between America and the USSR, but we both know that’s a pure lie. We both know the Soviet rockets are larger but not as reliable and nowhere near as accurate as yours. In addition, if the Soviets ever launched against America, I would have to intervene, most likely allowing most of the world to know I and the others exist, but I will save your planet from making some of the same mistakes my people made. I am still very concerned about this elected President. I fear he is too young and inexperienced, and his desire for your females will also be his undoing.”
“Huh? What do you mean his desire for females? All males desire females? Have you seen his wife? She’s gorgeous.”
“Her beauty has nothing to do with his desire. He never learned how to control his base desires. Early this morning, while you slept, and before your election began, I asked my ship’s AI to run a projection on this Kennedy. I do not like what it discovered. He is going to lead you to ruin.”
“How is this possible?”
“He is going to learn who really runs your government. President Eisenhower knew them well. He warned your people about them. They were afraid to touch him because of who he is and his record in history. This young Kennedy is different. His only record was losing his small warship in the Pacific and he grew up rich and pampered. His older brother was supposed to run for President, but when he died in the war, his father decided his second son should take up the reigns and become President. The father paid many to ensure his son won. As I told you, he would win, the margin of victory is meaningless. The entire family is corrupt. He may be better than Nixon, but neither turned out to be a great choice for your people.
“He will have one, maybe two chances to prove himself, and if he shows any weakness, he will be destroyed by those who control your government. My AI also said there’s a chance he may want to announce you’re not alone, in which case I will have to terminate him.”
“Huh? What are you talking about, the government is run by the three branches of our government…”?
Kalteck broke out laughing. “You will learn the truth one day. Right now, the most important issue we have to face is how much we should trust your new President. I am very concerned about his adventurous thoughts. Please see what you can find out from your fellow general officers. I have been away for a while. Let me ask you, have you built bomb shelters under this base?”
“Of course, I have. There are shelters, labs, workshops, and even garages for all sorts of vehicles and even helicopters, and there is one elevator we took from an aircraft carrier that can carry fighters from an underground hangar to the runway. We also have buried ammunition and weapons bunkers. We can fight a medium-sized war with what we have here. We can survive an air burst nuclear explosion.”
“You might need to fight a major war. Increase the armaments, and number of warriors, if you can. You may need them if Kennedy screws up. He and Khrushchev will be on a collision course, but Khrushchev is more experienced than Kennedy in playing these games.”
“I’ve never seen you this concerned about one of our leaders before. You weren’t this worked up over Stalin.”
“You will see. I hope my AI is wrong, but he is almost never incorrect. I knew the outcome with Stalin.”
Everette asked, “Can I ask you a question?”
“You should know you can ask me anything. What’s on your mind?”
“In many of the survey reports on various sightings there appears to be a common thread. Many of the reports say there is a reference to a race called the ‘grays,’ a race of small, no more than 4’6” tall gray-skinned beings with large very dark eyes. Large heads and long thin arms. They pop up in hundreds of reports. I have reports saying they abduct humans and perform experiments on them. Who are they?”
Kalteck slowly nodded, he drank deeply of a fresh beer, “I was wondering how long it would take for you to find out about them. You couldn’t pronounce their name. They are a race allied with no one. One of the names we call them is the researchers. They study other life forms. They travel from planet to planet, studying the planet’s various life. They collect samples. They learn how the planet’s life forms grow and die. They perform experiments to learn everything they can about life on every planet. I call them maggots. They are a nuisance to those of us who are trying to bring planets into the greater group of intelligent systems. The don’t care about the life forms they study; we usually chase them out of systems wh
en we locate them.
“They’ve been visiting Earth for over a thousand years. There are so many different kinds of life on your planet that the small teams of the researchers who have come here have been overwhelmed by their work of categorizing each life form, their DNA, their life cycle and their past. You would be surprised by the number of life forms this small planet has. What has confused those you call the grays is you humans. They don’t understand you, what motivates you, how you are born, grow and die. They had researched your kind since before we raised you and set you on the road your feet now find you.”
“There are stories of these grays abducting humans. Of them experimenting on the taken humans, of sexual experiments. Please tell me these stories are all untrue.”
“I wish I could, but most are likely true. They are asexual beings. They have studied many different life forms and rarely have they encountered beings like you humans who in one evening both love and kill their mates, or how you can have a bond with your mate and then mate with others. There is much about your race they do not understand. Most of the universe’s races have specific times when they mate, you humans seem to mate as often as possible for the fun of it, they are completely confused by this.”