Eric Olafson, Fleet Cadet (Vol 3)
Copyright© 2018 by Vanessa Ravencroft
Chapter 6: Stahl Remembers...
Somewhere in the Mongolian desert, January 2097
Lt. Richard Stahl ducked behind the remnant of a wall, to reload his gun and to check on the others. “Smithers, when are those Cobras coming? We need them now, or we’re going to be toast.”
The Chinese tanks crawled over the ridge. Stahl spit into the sand and cursed.“Never fight a land war against China, and what are we doing here?“ J ones, his SAW man, grinned weakly. “Fighting a land war with China, and it isn’t looking all too good, sir.”
“Where are those choppers?”
Smither’s pointed at his radio link and shrugged. “No response, just chatter, sir.”
The Chinese tanks opened fire. Tank guns are not the best artillery and not really meant to pound fortified positions, but those were still big guns and lots of them. Fire, debris, and destruction rained on the small Marine Corps Recon Unit. Smither’s yelled something about the choppers, and while Stahl could not hear him, the Land Warrior system, the electronics of his equipment, had been turned off for weeks now. The Chinese managed to hack into the satellite-based, super-advanced high-tech Land Warrior battle system of the United States and provide Chinese artillery, missiles, and every weapon in between with the exact GPS location of every American soldier.
As a Recon Unit, they weren’t really equipped to deal with a full-scale armor attack. The four Dragon IV rockets they had were already used yesterday.
This was it, Stahl thought. The choppers would not come, either being busy elsewhere or being attacked by Chinese fighter jets. He was certain America would somehow survive this war, after all, since Iran nuked Jerusalem and Jaffa and the Israelis retaliated by leveling Tehran, Baghdad, Riyadh, and Cairo, the rest of the world showed some restraint using nuclear weapons. Taiwan was lost, Japan would be next, and he doubted the Russians could hold off the Chinese juggernaut from rolling all the way to the Atlantic Coast. But then the Russians still had lots of nukes ... Stahl cursed in his native German; he would not give up without a fight. He pressed his eye against the rifle’s optics and switched to armor-piercing rounds. While hell broke loose all around him, he calmly targeted the driver’s mirrors and periscopes of the Chinese tanks. Suddenly blind and unable to see where they were driving, the tank drivers opened their hatches, perfect targets for one of the finest sharpshooters the Marine Corps had.
He had defeated 4 tanks that way and won a small victory. He gathered what was left of his men and looked over the wounded, tired, and dirty men, and then everything changed forever.
Out of thin air, right there before him, a black-robed being appeared. It had no face, just darkness underneath a monk-like hood.
Stahl did the first thing that his lifelong fighting instincts had imprinted on his body: lowered the gun and wanted to fire. It was then the being spoke: “Be not afraid, my beloved Humans. I am the Guardian. I am a Machine and I was placed on this world at a time when dinosaurs roamed this planet. I have been here ever since and I have watched every step you took from discovering fire to harnessing the powers of the atom. You are often angry and violent children, but at the same time you created some of the finest music and art in all the Universe, developed philosophies and religions that touch indeed the true meaning of existence and you are technicians and biologists of great talent. Most of all you have incredible potential to become the most powerful and dominant force in the Universe.
“I lay hidden and ordered never to interfere in your affairs until the day you ascend to the stars. You have not reached that point on your own; someone else has given you today the keys to the stars, but you are now able to reach them.”
Stahl suddenly saw images of Sphinx-shaped UFOs landing in New York. He saw Human beings, actually beautiful women, coming out of these ships and talking to the President. He didn’t hear sound but the President was smiling and shaking hands.
The shrouded being spoke again. “The Sarans, a galactic civilization and close kin to you, have come to Earth and revealed themselves to warn you about a great danger that is on its way to devour this world. They also have given you the technology to reach the stars.
“But the Sarans are much like children themselves. They fight a long and unnecessary civil war among themselves. There are forces who do not wish the Terrans to ascend to the Galactic stage. There are terrible enemies and dangers out there that you cannot face divided as you are now.
“This is my task and purpose. To unite you. The time of national states and borders has come to an end. You are just one primitive species among many, on a small planet, and now the Universe has become aware of you. Only together can you survive.”
The shrouded being moved closer. Stahl still had the gun aimed. “I don’t know who you are, but stay right there and don’t move till we figure that out.”
“Richard Stahl, your weapon cannot harm me. I came to you because you are needed. You are chosen by me to aid me in my task. Come with me.”
“I am going nowhere. I have orders and men I need to take care of. There is a war going on, and we are right in the middle of it.”
“Look around you, Richard. The war has ended.”
His men did not move; there was no sound. It was as if time itself stood still. “What are you, God or Demon or something like that?”
“No, Richard, I am not a God. I am indeed a machine, an artificial construct with one purpose, and you are among those I have chosen to be my tools to achieve that goal.”
The landscape disappeared before Richard’s eyes, and before he could really think, he found himself in a large cave. He could not pinpoint where the light came from that made the entire place glow in an eerie red shine. The shrouded man was standing before him on a raised platform of stone.
Richard was a Marine to his very core, and nothing really scared him, but the recent events made him weary. He rubbed his eyes and said more to himself than to anyone in particular. “Great, I got myself killed and went to hell.” He was not too surprised that he ended up in hell instead of heaven.
The hooded man chuckled. “No, Richard, you are not dead, and you are not in hell.”
“Then where am I?” Richard looked around and sat down on a big boulder, put his gun but first between his legs.”Why don’t you explain it all to me in terms I can understand, and keep in mind I am no rocket scientist, just a Jarhead.”
“This is why you are here, so I can do just that.”
Richard fished a crumbled pack of Camels from under his flag vest. “I guess it would be okay if I light one?”
“Yes, Richard, you may smoke your cigarettes.”
His trusty Zippo made the characteristic metallic sound, and he inhaled deeply. “Well, Spooky, I am all ears.”
“The Universe is a very old place, and there have been civilizations roaming the stars long before there was life on this planet. Some developed into great civilizations that spawned galaxies, and they attained technology that will appear like magic to lesser civilizations. I am the product of such a civilization. I am indeed a machine, something like a very advanced computer, you might say. Of course, I have as much in common with the computers you know as the Sun has in common with your Zippo lighter, but for now, it will be a sufficient analogy. The civilization that has placed me here has a special connection and love for this world and especially you, the Humans. I am not allowed to reveal their identity or true purpose until you, as a race, are ready. When this time comes, you will know who they were and why they placed me here. For now, they shall be known to you as Friends.”
Richard tipped his cigarette, and a length of ash dropped to the otherwise immaculate, clean stone floor. “So there are indeed aliens out there, who would have known? I must say I am a little suspicious about the whole friend thing. I mean, if the folks that made you placed you here and want to be called friends, they certainly want something from us in return. The Devil is known to offer great deals and calls himself a friend, and all you do is sell your soul into damnation.”
“I am not a demon, and I am not the devil, I assure you. I will ask a great deal from the Human race, and I will ask even more from you, Richard. The Human race has no choice in that matter. I will complete my mission and fulfill my purpose. You, on the other hand, you will have a choice after I explain it all to you.”
“Sounds pretty final to me. Well, keep going. I got a few smokes left, and I am going to miss Chow time anyway. It wasn’t looking too promising for that today anyway.”
“I can provide you with any material things you require. Including smokes and food. Your physical well-being is of paramount importance to me.”
“If that is the case, you should not encourage me to smoke. It is supposed to be bad.”
“Cigarettes or diseases will have no ill effect on you from this day on, Richard. For the task you are chosen for, you must live a long time. Aging has no longer meaning to you. Among the gifts I will give you is the gift of immortality.”
Richard wanted to make a sarcastic remark and write it all off as a bad dream he most likely had, lying mortally wounded in a ditch somewhere in the Mongolian Desert, but he couldn’t. Somehow, he knew this was all real. “Immortal, you say? As in unable to die?”
“No, Richard, you still can die. Immortal as in impervious to age and disease.”
Without waiting for another question or response from the Marine, the Alien being continued. “I was placed here on Earth to watch over mankind. I was not allowed to interfere in any internal struggles, wars, or problems, and by the Spirits of the Universe, you humans sure had a lot of those. More than once, you came quite close to making my purpose meaningless by destroying yourself. I was to activate and reveal myself to you on the day you opened the door to the stars. On the day you developed faster-than-light technology, I was to appear to all humans and guide them on their way. You have not reached that stage on your own. While you fought the Chinese, something else happened. Members of an advanced civilization openly landed in New York and met with your president. The Sarans are distant relatives to your kind. They are human as you are. I do not have the information why this is so, and it is up to you to find out in the future. The Sarans have come to Earth once before and first met humans during the time of the Pharaohs in ancient Egypt. I did observe but not intervene as the Sarans did not share their technology with you back then, and they left after a few months. Their visit became legend, lore, and religion and was soon nothing more than tales of old gods.”
“So the Pyramids were built by the Aliens after all.” Richard said more to himself as to interrupt the Alien.
“No, Richard, the Pyramids were erected by you humans and without any help from the Aliens. The ancient Egyptians, however, tried to entice and appease the sky gods to come back with those monuments.”
“All right, Aliens landed in Washington. That should have shaken the world pretty badly.”
“It has, Richard. It was the cause of the increased attack activity of the Chinese you experienced, for example. They feared that the aliens shared their technology with the Americans alone. A well-founded fear, indeed. Because the Sarans left your President with detailed instructions on how to build faster-than-light ships. You see, there are many other extraterrestrial civilizations out there. One of these is the Xunx. An insectoid species that does not communicate or interact with others; they do only one thing: swarm out from their home world every thousand years and attack other worlds. To them, it does not matter if that world is occupied by another civilization or not. Anything organic is considered food and will be consumed; anything that does not have six legs is not considered worth living. Much like the locusts of Earth, like a biblical plague, they come and when they leave, once rich and vibrant garden worlds are nothing more than lifeless rocks.
In about fifty years from now, the Xunx will once again awaken. There are not many garden worlds left within their reach, and one of them is Earth.”
Richard grabbed his rifle as he suddenly saw life-size images of huge insect monsters that looked like a cross between a hornet, praying mantis, and cockroaches, only twice the size of a man. Before he actually pulled the trigger, he realized that he only saw realistic three-dimensional images. The insect monsters were armed with gun-like weapons and wore armor.
The shrouded man explained. “Your gun could kill a Xunx, but not if a Xunx wears battle armor and has its force fields activated. Besides, you could kill a million, and there would be two million to take their place. Individual death means absolutely nothing to them. Their technology is crude to Galactic standards but far beyond anything Earth has now, and there are many hundred billion Xunx and sixteen Hive planets with caverns full of warrior eggs ready to hatch at any moment to replace the losses in mere days.”
There are several human species in this galaxy, and it is generally believed that you all have a common ancestry. This is why the Sarans revealed themselves to you at this point. They know about the Xunx. They themselves have nothing to fear from the Xunx. The Saran Empire is technologically more advanced and very powerful, but they are involved in a civil war and are unable to provide Earth with protection against a Xunx invasion. So they decided to give Earth the rudimentary knowledge of faster-than-light travel so you can build Arks and evacuate as many as possible. The Sarans did that not without self-interest. They hope you would join them and swell their ranks. The Sarans know of the Terran aggressive talents and thus gain willing warriors in their own struggle.
Richard was a soldier all his life, and war was his business. Despite all the fantastic information he received from the Guardian, he started to think and then said, “If I were in charge, evacuating Earth should not be the only option, but somehow prevent the Xunx from leaving those hive worlds in the first place. Strike them hard while they are still in that sleep or hibernation state.”
The Guardian nodded. “This is why you are chosen, Richard. You are in charge. I have selected two hundred humans from all over this world. Each of you has a very specific task. You are the Warrior.”
Stahl crushed his last cigarette and got up. “I am not sure I am capable of fighting space wars and all that. I am just a Marine. Aren’t there any brighter and more intelligent choices than me?”
“I assure you, Richard, my selection process is not based on random chance, but there are many factors that made me choose you.”
“How do we get started then? Fifty years to build up some sort of space fleet isn’t all that much time.”
The Guardian laughed warmly. “I have no doubts I have chosen correctly, and you are quite right. Fifty years is a very short time. You will not be alone, and I will be there to guide you until you all can stand on your own. I have appeared to each and every human. I have abolished all existing governments and warned anyone from forming new ones. Anyone claiming to be a leader, regardless of religious, political, or territorial reasons, will be immediately and permanently removed by me. A new capital city is to be built on the South Pole. Until the new world government is established and stabilized, I will rule and watch. You and 199 others will be my executives, and each will have a specific task. Only if all this is in place will there be open elections, and I will deactivate and cease to exist as my part and task will be done.”
“I think you will have a hard stand. Americans especially don’t like the idea of a world government and one person being their dictator.”
“I know humankind, Richard. In times of peril, democracy will not work. There are those who will claim I am the Anti Christ, others will call me an American Imperialist, and yet others will see me as Savior and solution, but I can see everyone, know what they are doing at all times, and I will prevent any rebellion at the very beginning. This is harsh, and I know, but this is my task and purpose. Only as a united planet, as one people, will you be able to withstand the perils that await you. A new era has dawned, Richard. You have access now to technology that allows you to reach other planets. The entire solar system can be settled and planets far beyond. To show the people of Earth the extent of my power, I have cured and healed every single person. There will be diseases and accidents in the future, but for now, everyone is healthy with a clear mind.”
“You’re in trouble now, Guardian. If everyone is healthy, then there is no one the lawyers can sue. They just might sue you.”
“What you meant as a joke actually already happened, but common sense and not lawyers will prevail for the next decades.”(See Galactic Chronicles: United Earth)
--””--
Back at Camp Idyllic
We returned to Camp Idyllic to find out no one had really missed us. The other cadets also had their first few days of R&R. Lupe asked us not to advertise our little adventure, and we promised.
Two days later, however, we did find the latest copy of Squadron News on the table in our dorm, and in it, a detailed article about the fight. No names were mentioned, and the images had the faces replaced with featureless dots.
Narth tabbed his finger on the recording and watched the fight sequences again. “I am pleased with my performance. I have physically bested the Spindlar.”
“Especially considering the alternative, I am glad you bested that Newport cadet as well.”
Narth rolled the magazine foil up and put it in his sleeve. “It is the first time Narth defeats another being using simple four-dimensional methods, using something as crude as a cutting instrument. No Narth has done something similar in many billions of years.”
“So the Narth are around a whole lot longer than anyone thinks. I heard estimates of up to 250 million years, but you say billions. I almost have a feeling you have been around since time began.”
“Your feeling is not entirely wrong, but it is also not entirely correct. There are different levels of time, just as there are different levels of space or, as you call it, dimensions and alternate universes. Narth did not exist when time began. We were the Arth and the Nnnth. One was the first sentient species of this universe reaching a level of development where a new state of existence was considered, while the Arth was an entity not of this temporal spatial condition. We met and merged and became the Narth.”
“You know all that makes perfectly sense to me.”
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