Starting from Scratch, page 6
Mike heard whistles and comments of awe and disbelief.
“It’s true sir. They exist and can be made fairly quickly. We ask that you put an emphasis on the space fighters, but it’s your call, gentlemen.
“We will also be bringing a new type of anti-air deterrent system. It can locate and shoot down incoming aircraft and missiles many hundreds of miles away and it, too, has a rapid fire mode that can be used hundreds of times a minute.”
Stassen said, “That’s very kind of you, Mike. Thank you.”
Mike let out a sigh. “Mr. President, again, lets’ cut through the bullshit. You don’t trust me and I don’t trust you. The difference is, you don’t realize you have no choice but to trust me. But I have no choice either; I must trust you. Our motivations are different and our goals are different. But ultimately, we must work together, or the Earth is going tits up, pardon my language, sir.”
“That’s all right, Mike. I understand that you’re under a lot of stress.”
“We both are, sir. I hate to beat a dead horse, but I can’t impress upon you enough the truth of what I have told you. The aliens will come and I believe they will either destroy the Earth, or, at the very least, enslave us all.”
Pierpoint said, “Mr. Hurst, isn’t it true that you’re basing all of this on the word of a single alien. Certainly you can understand our concern that he is your only source of intelligence on this. We would like to speak with him in person and judge for ourselves the voracity of his statements.”
“Mr. Pierpoint, he will be with us on our next visit and I feel certain he will avail himself for your interrogation.”
“We won’t interrogate him. We just want to get a few things clear, before we commit a massive amount of funds to some project that doesn’t attack the real problem.”
Mike’s blood pressure was rising, but he managed to maintain his cool, as he asked, “And what is the primary problem, as you see it, Mr. Pierpoint?”
“Well frankly, you. Look at it from our position. You break into Camp David and make a speech to the President of the United States, which asserts we are going to be attacked by beings from outer space. It’s a little bit too sci-fi for some of us. We are men who deal with tangible proof, whenever possible. You’ve given us some intriguing trinkets, but not hard proof.”
“All right, Mr. Pierpoint, what sort of proof can I offer you.”
“Give us everything you have. We will evaluate it and gladly include you in our efforts to defend the planet, providing it becomes obvious that it is truly necessary. We are not your enemy, but we are very worried that you might be ours.”
“Thank you, Mr. Pierpoint. You’re the first one there to call a spade a spade. Perhaps we can truly get to work, now that your concerns are out in the open. If I had a better way to give you proof, at the moment, I would do it. I’ll bring what I can, when I return. There is a practical limit to what will fit in the shuttles.”
Mike changed direction on them. “Now, have you decided who you want me to upgrade for you? I am prepared to accept as many as ten people to go through the process, so choose wisely. They should be prepared to be off planet for approximately seven weeks. Once they have been upgraded, they will have comm units placed in their bodies and they will be functional by simply utilizing their thoughts, without actually speaking. They will have immediate comm with all of the other people who have been upgraded.
“Also, they will have the ability to comm each other and you from our ship in the Kuiper belt. They will be able to exchange data at phenomenal speeds. This method of communication is unique and unknown to any government on the planet. No one will be able to intercept it and even if they did, it is encrypted to such a degree that they would never be able to read it.”
“Oh, about encryption. We recommend making substantial changes to all of your military cyber connections. I’m having Bambi send your people at NSA a copy of a new process for securing and encrypting your data. Your people can review the twenty million lines of code for it and decide for yourself if you wish to use it. It isn’t as good as ours, but it’s OK, I guess.”
Pierpoint said, “That’s an awfully large amount of data. There’s no way we can review that in a reasonable amount of time. And we’re certainly not going to install it in our systems, at your recommendation.”
“Of course not, sir. When it arrives, it will be in relatively smaller segments, which will facilitate your review in an easier manner and can be implemented one segment at a time.
“It probably works out better that way, because other countries will notice an improvement in your security, yet not be too alarmed by it. It will be viewed as part of an ongoing process of cyber security improvements, which all governments do now days. They won’t realize that once you open it up full bore, they will be completely unable to gather anything on your activities.”
Pierpoint pressed the matter, “And how will you go about sending us this data?”
Mike deliberately let out a noticeable chuckle, as he happily told him, “Oh, it’s already there. It’s sitting in an NSA file on a server in Fort Meade, Md. Tell them to look for it in a file for independent contractor closed accounts, with a sub-file marked “Payment Withheld. The password is 71yearoldfisherman?”
The President seemed upset, when he asked, “Don’t you think you should have notified us before you broke into the NSA’s computers.”
“Mr. President, don’t you think it should have been more difficult for us to do, and shouldn’t it have been noticed by them; and doesn’t this point to a flaw in their ability to protect all of your secure data?”
Hardesty jumped in. “You’re pressing us too damn hard and your moving along too fast. You say you want trust, and then you pull a stunt like this. It just doesn’t square with me.”
“I don’t blame you, Mr. Hardesty. My methods are abrupt and, by normal social standards, rude. But, we just don’t have the time to worry about ego or whose toes are being stepped on. Believe me when I say it’s a two way street. I know your going to piss me off too and I’ll just have to deal with it. I don’t want my temper to be a hindrance to what must be done. So you just keep telling me when you think I’ve crossed the line and we’ll work it out.
“Gentlemen, if we don’t voice our concerns honestly, we are all doomed.”
He paused and no one spoke, so he went on to the next item on his agenda.
“Mr. President, have you been able to work out a video conference call with the other English speaking nations as we discussed earlier?”
“Yes I have, Mike. I’ve spoken with each of them and I must tell you it hasn’t been easy, without revealing the reason for the call. They are all waiting for me to activate the video conference, whenever you are set up there.”
Bambi, take control of the video in each country and be sure that it’s secure. I don’t want any other people to learn of us, just yet. Then get Max and Jo in front of a camera and blend them into a video with me. I want them in on this, too.
On it.
“All right, Mr. President. I’m ready, let’s proceed.”
Mike was able to watch it in his mind, as though the meeting was taking place live, with all of them in the same room. What amazed him was how effortless the process was for him. He continued to perform several other mental functions, as he held the meeting. Simply incredible.
“Mr. Hurst, I have on line the Prime Minister of Great Britain, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Prime Minister of Australia and the Governor-General of New Zealand. Gentlemen, this man is Mr. Theodore Hurst, formerly of the United States and now…well, I guess you’d call him an independent citizen of the world.”
“Mr. Hurst, I give you the podium, so to speak.”
“Thank you mister President. Gentlemen, I am not a politician and I’m neither familiar with, nor comfortable with the procedures of diplomacy, or statecraft. Many years ago, I was a Sergeant in the American Army. I was serving in Iraq, back during…”
He gave them a brief background and explained how an alien had kidnapped him. Their disbelief was not diminished in the slightest, when Jo was put on the screen.
The Prime Minister of Australia complained, “Is this some sort of sick joke? Hollywood could come up with a better monster than that. Really Mr. President, I must object to using this meeting to show us some movie trailer.”
Mike was not angry in the least. He had expected resistance to the facts. They were, after all, very hard to believe.
He told them, “Gentlemen, I can assure you that this is all true and that I will be visiting you soon with gifts and a request for aid in defending our planet. Also, I’m going to send you a video that goes into far more detail about what is known about the threat we face.
“The men who currently advise the President and are aware of the greater details will tell you and your confidants what they know and of their own concerns about me. You, I dare say, will have your own doubts.
“This is merely the first of many meetings that will be needed to get the English speaking nations involved in a solar defense force. In soliciting your aid, I will bring gifts of great wealth, also I shall deliver technical knowledge that is of far greater value.”
Again, the Prime Minister of Australia interrupted. “Are you openly admitting that you intend to bribe us to do what it is you wish? You certainly are a cheeky bastard.”
There were several voices that agreed with him.
“Yes sir, that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m trying to get your attention, by making you see that I’m not in this for the Money. I’ll be back to Earth, carrying gold and platinum by the ton and it will be in its purest form. Also, I’ll bring you medical units that can cure diseases and repair severed nerves and grow new limbs.”
The doubt and awe in their mumbled responses was a little quieter, as they began to want to believe this could be true.
The President decided to add, “Gentlemen, I must tell you that I have read through this man’s extensive military record. This man did, in fact, lose both of his legs and an eye, in Iraq. I have seen him in person and I can tell you he is nearly a foot taller than our records indicate and currently he has both of his eyes and both of his legs. Perhaps the most amazing thing I can say is that he is seventy one years old. I cannot vouch for his other claims, just yet, but there does seem to be some validity to what he has told you.”
“No!’
“I don’t believe it.”
“It can’t be true.”
Mike allowed their surprise and disbelief to fade away, before he continued.
“Gentlemen, I make you the same offer I gave President Stassen. You may each select between one and ten people to travel back with me to the Mother Ship. I insist that they are all volunteers and are given every bit of information, before they have the upgrade. They will undergo the upgrade process and be returned to you.
“They will still be your men; although there will be a significant changes in their attitudes towards the defense of planet Earth. I will have their motivations slightly tweaked. They will be compelled to defend the Earth and to neither attack nor hinder, in any way, the efforts of the Terran Space Navy to protect the planet. Otherwise, they will obey your commands and provide you with as much information as you can absorb, about any subject.
“I leave you now, so that you may discuss this among your selves.”
Bambi, cut the connection, but keep an eye on what they chat about, after I leave the scene.
On it.
Chapter 5
A few hours later, Bambi woke him.
General…General. We have an emergency.
When sleeping, an upgraded human could do some incredible mental gymnastics. He had been reviewing his latest conversation with the leaders of the English speaking nations. He accepted that he would never be up to diplomatic speed, but he could at least work on it. Bambi had offered to build a primer on the basics for him study.
Bambi, please tell me you haven’t interrupted my sleep, just to show me your new program on how I can avoid putting my diplomatic foot in my mouth.
He was surprised to hear noticeable fear in her voice. No sir. This is serious shit. One of the early warning beacons just alerted me to the arrival of a Sauran vessel.
Mike sat bolt upright and asked, “How many of them and what kind are they? Is this the special transport, with the escorts?”
No sir. This arrival was completely unexpected. It’s a transport just like me and it’s flashing a damage alarm. I haven’t responded to it, because under normal conditions, I wouldn’t know of its presence yet.
The earliest Saurans in this area are the ones who placed the first beacons in this solar system. They didn’t place the beacons that alerted me; I placed the early notice beacons much farther out, and they aren’t supposed to be there. Technically, I won’t notice their arrival, for another two days. I would expect a comm from the Senior Pilot of that ship any time after that.
She finished her report and it occurred to him that she was truly frightened. How odd that an AI would feel that way, but then, why not? He was pretty worried and they still didn’t have any useful info on this yet. It might not be as bad as he feared, or it might be worse.
“OK Bambi, we can handle this together. Tell me, how long until the ship can reach us?”
Normally, about four weeks. But it’s damaged, so it could be longer.
“Do those beacons gather any other sort of information.”
“Well they can pick up ships unfolding in the area, by the subtle gravitational changes. They can also detect ship drives, but they have to be a lot closer for targeting purposes. There is a telescope on board each beacon, but it’s not especially powerful and the ship is too far out to show us anything important, yet. I didn’t design them for much else, because I was afraid if they probed for more info, it would be cause for concern for any visiting Senior Pilot. We don’t want a Sauran vessel to come by here and get suspicious.”
“No, we certainly don’t want that. You’ve handled it perfectly, Bambi. There was nothing else you could have done. Thank you for warning me, it was wise to bring me up to speed as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, sir. I realize that I may have over reacted here. But I didn’t know what I could do about this. So, I woke you up and now I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’d be really pissed if you hadn’t. A commander needs information, as soon as it’s available. It’s better to wake me for something unimportant than to wait and deny me some truly vital information, denying me adequate time to think it through.”
He sighed, put his head in his hands and thought for a moment, and then told her, “Don’t mention this to anyone else tonight. We’ll let them sleep. I will have a breakfast meeting, with everyone present. Then we’ll make them aware of what’s happened.’
“Yes sir. Do you mean all of the people we have on board now?
“No, just the staff. Until I designate anyone new to the staff, that’s going to be, Me, Jo, Max, Wayne Mary, Al and I think I’ll include Bet Fulwiler on it, too, even though she hasn’t been upgraded yet.”
Got it. Sir, are you going to notify the Earth?”
“I suppose I will; but not yet, for two reasons. First, I don’t want them to know about the distant warning beacons and I don’t want to hear a lot of crap from them about how they should be allowed to deal with this. I’ll listen to recommendations, but if they waste my time telling me how they could do a better job of it, I’ll cut the line.
“Now, let me think about this. I’m sure I’ll need the answer to a few thousand questions, before everyone wakes up.”
OK
Mike ordered coffee and began to march around, as he thought. He quickly came to the conclusion that there might be an opportunity to capture this vessel. That would give him two ships, plus whatever this new one was carrying.
“Bambi, do we have any idea what they’re carrying on that thing?”
No sir, and I won’t be able to find out, because Saurans don’t allow the computer to broadcast that information, unless a Grand Pilot leader, or higher requests it. The Senior Pilot of a ship cannot allow it, even if he wanted to. The Grand Pilot Leader would have the required codes that the Senior Pilot does not carry. It’s typical of Sauran cautiousness.
“There must be some way we can take advantage of that cautious nature of theirs. I’ll bet Max can come up with a scheme. That’s why he’s here. He has a brilliant mind for being devious.”
“OK, what about breaking into the ship. Can we breach the thing from the outside? How hard would that be?
Pretty easy, if all they did was stand still and let you in. But Saurans are fighters and they will certainly send all available warriors to repel you. You’d need a hundred men, just to deal with a few Saurans.
“I thought you told me the Saurans kept most of their crew in stasis and that usually no more than two would be awake.”
That’s true, but I don’t know how or why this ship was damaged. I would think they probably awakened the crew for repairs, after the incident. I have no way of knowing.
“What if we offer to send over some of our crew to help them?”
The answer to that would be maybe yes and maybe no. Even the crew of a lowly transport has their pride. If the damage is bad and they lost part of their crew, then perhaps the Senior Pilot would welcome our assistance. It could get you to the entrance.
But that ship has the same design as this one. The hanger deck is a long way from the bridge. As soon as the computer saw any indication of armed assault, it would immediately send out a detailed distress signal. That’s the very thing we want to avoid. Even if you get to the bridge and manage to overwhelm the crew, it would be to late. The warning would have been sent.
“OK. Good to know. We’ll have to work on that. What about breaching the hull and going for the bridge?”
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