Gravity Wars: Nova Strike, page 3
“Oh, so now you’re worried.”
“I didn’t say I was worried, but I’m not a fool.”
“That’s open to opinion.”
“You think I’m a fool?” John asked.
“You’re no fool,” Garvey said with a laugh. “Eat some more nuts, huh?”
John grabbed the bowl and dumped the peanuts into his mouth, chewing loudly. He slammed the bowl onto the countertop. “Barkeep, more peanuts over here. We’re empty.”
The bartender scowled at John.
Garvey waved the man off before studying John. “Why do you do such stupid things like testing the thruster pack with no one there to help you?”
“You want to know why?”
“What, are you deaf? Didn’t you hear me just ask you?” Garvey said.
“I heard you, I heard you.” John grabbed his beer, chugged some more. He was feeling good. Garvey was one of the few people who he could unwind and relax with. “Why is it, ah…?” John turned and spat on the floor.
“Hey, that’s disgusting,” Garvey said. “Don’t you have any manners?”
“I have manners.” John thought about taking another slug of beer but held off. “To answer your question, you know about Charles XII.”
“That again?” Garvey asked. “You like beating a dead horse?”
“Charles did all kinds of things when he was younger. He learned to hunt bears, but he thought it too tame of a thing to hunt with muskets. He started using a spear, and finally just a pronged stick. He would thrust the prongs around the bear’s neck and shove him onto the ground, capturing it like that.”
“Charles sounds like a nut.”
“No,” John said. “He was teaching himself the skills of war by attempting dangerous deeds, by practicing. That’s what I’m doing, Garvey, practicing. How am I going to learn to take risks unless I actually take them and learn what to do when the odds are against me? I went out alone, figuring the worst that could happen was Petty sending out an emergency team to collect me.”
“And if your lines broke, or you didn’t set stuff right and you died because you didn’t have enough oxygen?” asked Garvey.
“Then I’m a fool and deserve to die,” John said. “I’m taking risks, I’m learning. Sometimes, I sleep on the floor so I’ll learn to sleep in rough conditions. Other times I only eat bad food so I learn to act even when I’m not getting the best sustenance. Other times I stay up for 48 hours so I can learn to function without sleep. I’m training myself because no one is training me hard enough.”
“You want to be trained hard?” Garvey asked.
John perked up. “You’re finally going to let me join the space marines?”
Garvey scowled and looked away.
The subject was a sore spot for both of them. More than anything, Garvey had wanted to go out to space as a marine, but he had never made it. If he would have made it for the last Orion ship assault to Saturn, he would be dead by now. Later, Petty had gained control of the Space Marine training facility. But humanity wasn’t going out to Saturn anymore. Earth was too busy building defenses, getting ready for the next possible alien assault.
The Valiants had used their railgun to pound the Earth with hundreds of projectiles, 40 that hit with the explosive force of a small nuclear bomb, obliterating critical factories. When the projectiles struck, they also hurled debris into the air. Supply systems and weather were breaking down.
Humanity needed time to rebuild. Unfortunately, the aliens sent robotic ships all over the Saturn system that built mines and factories, increasing their industrial base while the Earth’s floundered.
“You can’t join the space marines because your dad told Petty to never let you,” Garvey said, facing John. “So no, I’m not talking about space marine training.”
“There you go,” John said, too loudly. “That’s why I’m practicing space marine activities on my own. If no one else will train me, I’ll train myself.”
Garvey rolled his eyes. “That’s what we need, a self-taught space marine wannabe.”
“Wannabe, schmanabe.” John grabbed his glass and chugged the rest of the beer, gasping afterward. “Another,” he shouted.
Garvey waved a finger at the bartender and shook his head.
“Hey, I said I wanted another,” John said.
“I know what you said,” Garvey replied, “but you’re not going to get it.”
“You’re wrecking all the fun.”
Garvey shook his head. “It’s time you learned what you’re going to do.”
“What do you mean, ‘do’? You’re going to give me crap work to placate the old-fart security chief?”
“Not exactly,” Garvey said. “I’m going to give you experience with responsibility, by doing something important.”
“Yeah,” John said, “so tell me about it.”
-5-
Garvey began to explain, starting with, “All right, you know who Dr. Manfred A.S. Huber is, don’t you?”
“You’re talking about Rumpelstiltskin?” John asked.
“Don’t call him that. The name is meant to be derogatory.”
“I didn’t plan to call him that to his face. But you do mean the little, long-haired hippie dude who works for Petty, right?”
“Yes, the little hippie dude,” Garvey said. “He’s easily the second most important person on Petty’s side.”
“Who’s the first?”
“Are you dense?” Garvey asked. “Petty.”
“Oh, of course,” John said. “Huber’s that important, huh?”
“Very,” Garvey said. “And he has asked to do something stupid.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You—that you’re going to be part of Dr. Huber’s security detail.”
“Me?” John asked. “Where’s Huber going, to a different orbital station?”
“Nothing of the sort,” Garvey said. “What do you know about the aliens?”
John pursed his lips, as his eyes seemed to swirl. “Well, let’s see. They call themselves the Valiants. They come from a different star system forty-eight or forty-nine light years away. They’re bigger than we are, blue-skinned, but otherwise seem human. The Vims, real badass aliens, chased the Valiants from their old star system. The Vims also launched interstellar missiles at the generational Voyager that reached our system in a little less than 300 years from blast-off. One of the Vim interstellar missiles smashed into Saturn and destroyed some of the rings and other structures.”
“What do you know,” Garvey said. “You have been paying attention.”
“I read, I know things,” John said, slurring the last word just a bit.
“What else can you tell me about the Valiants?”
“Hmmm,” John said, “not much more than that.”
“Fine,” Garvey said. “Do you know that Dr. Huber is a genius several times over?”
“I’ve heard that. He’s a polymath, right?”
“Exactly,” Garvey said. “He’s a quadruple genius and has taken an interest in the aliens.”
A twinkle appeared in John’s eyes. “You mean he likes them alien women, some of them big-boned babes?”
“In a way, I am talking about them,” Garvey said.
“Aha! So Hippie Huber wants himself a big girl, huh?”
“Not quite,” Garvey said. “Not in that way, anyway. Have you ever wondered about the alien names Akkad, Assur, or Ningal?”
John shrugged. “A name is just a name.”
“Not quite,” Garvey said again. “What you probably don’t know is when translated into English the Valiant names are the same as ancient Sumerian names.”
“Sumerian, Sumerian,” John said. “I’ve heard that somewhere.”
“You ought to; you read enough history. Ancient Sumer was in southern Mesopotamia.”
“The land between the rivers,” John said. “That’s what Mesopotamia means. It’s part of the Fertile Crescent between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. I remember the Sumerians now. Aren’t they like the earliest culture, the earliest written culture we know about? I think their written records go back even beyond the pyramids. The Sumerians built step pyramids. I think those have something to do with the Bible, with Nimrod the Mighty Hunter. Nimrod and his boys were going to build a tower to God.”
Garvey raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You read the Bible like your dad did?”
“Not like my dad. The Bible is historical literature, part of popular culture. I’ve read some of it. I’m talking about a guy named Nimrod who started to build the Tower of Babel. It must have been similar to the step pyramids the Sumerians and others built back in the day,” John shrugged. “That’s about all I know about them.”
“Well, hippie Huber or Dr. Huber knows a lot more about those things than either you or me. I’m talking about the Sumerians. In truth, he’s taken a shine to them, particularly because there’s a new find, a secret find Huber learned about. I’m not sure of the details, but it has to do with ancient ruins hidden in the Persian Gulf.”
John shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. The Persian Gulf is water. What do underwater ruins have to do with ancient Sumerian cities?”
“I believe that is what Huber intends to find out,” Garvey said. “He and a few others have this weird theory that the Valiants… Hmmm, how do I explain this?” He brightened. “The alien women your dad captured on the Akkad had kids from the space marines journeying home with them on the hijacked Corsair. We know those kids are growing up just fine. From what we can tell, they’re as human as you or me, except they are blue-skinned instead of having beautiful black skin like me.”
“Sure,” John said. “I’m tracking you so far. But what does any of that have to do with Huber and the Persian Gulf?”
Garvey nodded. “Some archaeologists have this theory that if the Valiants are like us, there must be some kind of common ancestor between humans and Valiants. And if there’s a common ancestor…” Garvey picked up his Scotch and soda, sipping it to clear his parched throat.
“I get it,” John said, grasping the idea. “If all that is true—the common ancestry between them and us—maybe there’s evidence of that in Earth’s dim past.”
Garvey snapped his fingers and pointed at John. “Huber believes scientists have found such evidence underwater in the Persian Gulf. Let me explain the idea or theory. Some archaeologists believe that around eight thousand or nine thousand BC, a fierce ice age gripped the Earth. Because of this, vast amounts of the world’s water supply was locked in the ice. Therefore, the sea levels then were much lower than they are today. The Persian Gulf is a shallow sea. During that ice age, much of what is now underwater would have been dry land. The proto-Sumerians possibly built ancient cities there. Huber and others argue that to date the earliest known Sumerian and Egyptian cultures appeared to spring full-blown from the start. That implies the Sumerians were already cultured and fled from somewhere else. Interestingly, all ancient cultures have a flood myth.”
“You mean like Noah’s Flood?” John asked.
“Yes. Most flood legends from the Amazon to the American Indians, to the Greeks and others have similar motifs. The sin of the people, a special boat, a good man and things like that.”
“What does any of that mean for us?” John asked.
“That there appears to be reality or truth in the flood legends,” Garvey said. “Huber and others believe that back in eight thousand or nine thousand BC, somewhere in that range, anyway, the ancient ice age ceased, and the ice began to melt. That brought great floods everywhere and vast upheavals. The proto-Sumerian cities in the Persian Gulf basin vanished as the sea levels rose and washed over them. The survivors used the names of those lost cities, rebuilding in the places where we find Sumerian ruins today.”
“I’m with you so far,” John said.
“There’s even a Sumerian king’s list that coincides with this theory. But, long story short, Huber has learned about a new discovery down in the Persian Gulf. He wants to take a sub to go down and see it for himself.”
“That’s wild,” John said.
“Which brings us back to you,” Garvey said, pointing at John. “I’m sending you with Huber as part of his security detail. You’re going down to Earth and into a sub. You’re going to make sure our polymath comes back in one piece.”
John sat back. “I’m going underwater in a sub, huh? Could that be dangerous?”
Garvey shook his head. “The whole Earth is dangerous right now. I wouldn’t let Huber go, but Petty has given the okay.”
“Why do that if the Earth is such a mess?” John asked.
Garvey eyed John, and it seemed as if he would smirk. “Oh, you know, sometimes bright boys get stupid ideas. They practice these ideas even though they’re idiotic. You let them do it so they can blow off some steam. You see what I’m saying?”
John did, and he appreciated that he had a friend like Garvey. He lightly punched Garvey in the shoulder. “Thanks,” John said. “A security detail, so I’m going to protect Huber, huh?”
“I want you to listen to me good,” Garvey said. “You will be the lowest-ranked member of the detail. You are going to take orders. You will listen, in other words. However, in the unforeseen circumstances of something terrible happening, you will use your wits and imagination to help Huber return home. Otherwise, you will do exactly as you are told, when you are told and how you are told. You don’t even wipe your ass unless you’re given orders to do it first.”
“That sounds gross,” John said. “But I get it. Huh, I’m going down to the Persian Gulf. Do I get data so I know exactly what to expect down there?”
“What kind of data do you need?” Garvey asked, surprised. “You’re getting a gun, and you’re going to stick close to Huber to make sure no one hurts him.”
“Sure, sure, I get that,” John said. “But what kind of sub it is? How deep will we submerge? What are the security procedures?”
“What?”
“Exactly,” John said. “What happens if the sub is flooded, for instance?”
Garvey stared at him for a moment and nodded. “You’re taking this seriously. I like that. You’re giving it one hundred and ten percent”
“No,” John said. “That’s impossible.”
“Going the extra mile is impossible?”
“Going the extra mile is very possible. But how can I give one hundred and ten percent when I’m only literally capable of one hundred percent?”
“Okay, Mr. Literal. Then give one hundred percent all the time.”
“You can bet on it,” John said.
“Yeah, yeah, maybe Huber will like having a hothead like you along. But remember, you’re there to protect him and nothing else.”
“What are you expecting from me, anyway?” John asked. “Why all this… I don’t know.”
“Why do you think?” Garvey said. “Livia Drusus hates us. You’re going down to Earth now while everything is chaotic so you can make sure Huber comes home.”
“Huh,” John said while becoming thoughtful. “Huber must want a better understanding of the aliens so he can figure out what they’re going to do, and possibly how they’re going to do it. He hopes to learn more by delving into the past. If you want to know the future, study what happened in the past.”
“There you go,” Garvey said. “I’m sure Huber would be pleased to hear someone say that about him. He has a high opinion of himself, and he is a smart boy.”
John wasn’t sure, but it felt as if Garvey was talking about him.
“And you finally have some duties that ought to keep you out of trouble for a while,” Garvey said.
“Sure,” John said. That was the real reason Garvey was sending him. Still, it was an opportunity. “I need to sober up and start reading. When do we leave?”
“In a week,” Garvey said.
“Why so long?”
“Need to get everything into position, our ducks in a row. You know what they say.”
“Actually, I don’t,” John said. “But thanks, Garvey. I sure appreciate this. You’re a pal.”
“I’m a pal,” Garvey said. “What do you know? Here’s one last piece of advice.”
“I’m listening.”
“You come back,” Garvey said. “I want you back up here. I’m looking out for you ever since…”
John looked away and he felt a pang. Then he looked at Garvey and nodded.
“Bartender!” Garvey made a circular motion with his index finger. “One more round, if you please.”
“That’s a great idea,” John said, already forgetting about sobering up. He looked at the bartender expectantly, waiting for his next beer.
-6-
The week passed quickly as John learned his duties and met the other three members of the security detail. They were older and had worked together for over a year.
Saying they gave John the cold shoulder was an understatement. Only after Garvey spoke to the team leader did they thaw enough to include John in their instructions.
John met Huber once. The little polymath stood before him, eyeing him.
“You are Colonel Steele’s son?” Huber asked.
“I am, sir.”
“You don’t really look like him.”
“It’s in the eyes but more in the heart.”
“Ah,” Huber said, appearing to lose interest.
John quickly discovered that Huber lost interest in most mundane things. His mind clicked so fast and on such interesting details that normal things faded into obscurity for him.
Far too soon, John found himself in the corner of an observation deck on Aphrodite, his posture straight as he watched Huber gaze at the Earth below.
John had a small .32-caliber snub-nosed pistol in a shoulder rig and wore a brown uniform and military hat. He kept a knife in a boot and wore a light mesh vest under his jacket and shirt. He also wore dark sunglasses like the other three members of the security detail.
Dr. Huber, the polymath, was less than four feet tall, making him minuscule except for his head. Like a holovid star, he had an extraordinarily large head. He had stringy long hair to his shoulders and wore a tie-dye frock, baggy pants, and sandals. It was a ridiculous outfit.
