Chapter 22

Kanisha has the Narrative

Was I ever right? After hearing all that had occurred at the Wat, I had trouble getting to sleep. There were just too many questions and facts floating around in my mind.

“How could there be Enhanced Tiger Cubs at that Wat?” was the first thing that I wondered about. “Had there been experiments done here by some of the new batch of Biologists or the Gene Engineers,” I wondered?

I knew that it had required a lot of research and experimentation by the Biologists and those who eventually became Gene Engineers to develop those who preceded the creation of Enhancement in Humans. They had started back in the 20th century with giving additional strength to their experimental subjects. Then they had added better eyesight and better hearing to their subjects over several generation. Being able to stay awake longer and get by with less sleep had been harder to achieve. Many of their subjects were now from their own families and children.

It was while they were still working on needing less sleep that they stumbled onto the ability to speak with our minds. Of course, some people had always had the small ability to do Magic. The engineers took some of their genes and strengthened them before adding them to their latest group of subjects, but this didn’t produce the results that they had been hoping for. It wasn’t until those in that group married within the group and had children that truly Enhanced individuals appeared.

It had taken over 180 years and untold billions of credits from both private and government funding to achieve this result. That was the point when the government, actually the politicians, stepped in and declared that research on humans was unlawful and took over all of the research facilities on both Earth and the several colony worlds working on the project. They jailed the Biologists and Gene Engineers that they could catch and brought in their own people to run things.

They were much too late, however, to capture the last several generations of enhanced or almost enhanced subjects. They were smarter than those they had left behind, as they had realized that the government would be unhappy with people who had their new abilities because they wouldn’t be able to control them. They had already scattered to the four winds, or at least as many different planets as possible.

The government, the new Unity, banned further research on Humans but couldn’t find more than a few of the somewhat enhanced. Eventually over the years, Enhanced people started to appear on a number of planets. Often their presence had been hidden by the local planetary governments who were seeking an advantage over those running the Unity.

Finally, there were too many of them to hide as they had become powerful business leaders and renowned scientists. Shortly following that, those in the Unity government had a brilliant idea. If they couldn’t remove them from society, they needed to to find a way to use them and their special talents. That was how Special Operations came into being. They thought that they could use one problem to eliminate another one and control both in the process.

Even though research on Humans had been banned, research on certain animal species had been allowed. With the formation of Special Operations, this research was directed towards certain species that could assist the operators in the field. Several avian (bird) species were worked on, but eventually Falcons and Eagles were settled on as being large enough and sufficiently intelligent enough to do the required work.

On the ground, scouts were also needed. They too needed to be intelligent, but also aggressive enough to take out an enemy while still being controllable by their Human Partners. That was the word that had been chosen to define the relationship between them, Partners. Not slaves, or toys, nor machines but Partners with different responsibilities on a united Team. There had to be a bond of respect and loyalty between the members of a Team as their lives depended on it. Teams had been going out to remove problems on various Unity worlds for well over 70 years now.

Several species had been tried to fill the scout requirement. Some were fierce but too small. Some were not intelligent enough, while others were too independent or not trainable. The selection had been whittled down to just Cougars at first, but soon Tigers and not just any Tigers, but Siberian Tigers had been added. Now, it appeared that there had been additional experimentation, as we had a pair of Jaguars, and a Partner on that Team who could become a Jaguar and even a more exotic cross between a Jaguar and a Human known as the Third or Warrior state of being.

Still, given all of that, how did a number of at least somewhat Enhanced Tiger cubs wind up out at that Wat? This world didn’t appear to have a biological research facility of the caliber necessary to even repeat the work done by others, let alone to engage in new research. Additionally, the Woos weren’t ready or at least willing to spend the kind of money that it would require to finance such research. How then did this come about?

Was it natural selection? It was difficult to tell until the cubs were old enough to breed and see if their offspring bred true. Trish had said that the other Tigers there had bred true, but only as normal Tigers, and they hadn’t abandoned their cubs. The mothers of these cubs had abandoned them, and they had only survived because the Monks had cared for them.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the back of my mind my intuition was flashing on and off. Something, it was telling me, wasn’t right, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. It was probably something that I knew, but it wasn’t apparent. I lay there in bed for a time trying to relax but nothing came to me.

I had been lying there for a time when there was a knock on my door. Who could that be, I wondered, but got up to answer the door. I was the go to person for problems. Much to my surprise, it wasn’t a problem, as I found Greg Roanoke standing out in the hall.

“I’ve been thinking about those Tiger cubs and couldn’t sleep,” he told me.

“Yeah, I’ve been doing the same thing. You want to come in?” I asked, and really needed him to come into my room.

“Sure, maybe we can figure this thing out together,” he said and joined me in my room. It wasn’t the first time that he had been in here, as I found him more desirable than any man that I had met in a long time, even Cleve.

“What have you figured out?” he asked after we were seated on the bed next to each other.

“They don’t have the facilities here or the desire to spend the necessary money to even repeat the previous research let alone to do new research on something like this. It could have been natural selection, but that is difficult to prove. There is something that is missing, though I can’t figure out what,” I told him.

“Like what?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’m too tense to figure it out,” I told him.

“Let me help you relax,” he said and leaned in and kissed me.

“Oh yes,” I thought, “this is what I have needed,” and I returned his kiss with passion. We hadn’t had sex in a couple of days, but we were soon both naked and the love continued for a long time with hugging, kissing, massaging, and rolling around on the bed as we enjoyed being with each other. After a time, the love turned to sex, and Greg shoved that big cock of his into me and just set me off. Greg made me scream repeatedly as we moved together for a long, long time. After a while, the rhythm grew faster and our needs more intense until we both went over the cliff together and then crashed back onto the bed shortly after that. Both of us were spent, and it took me a while to recover, but as I lay there, it suddenly occurred to me what the missing piece of the puzzle was. I tapped Greg on the shoulder, as I was too worn out to move yet.

“Remember the southern continent. That’s the missing piece,” I told him before going to sleep.

My alarm went off at 0530 the next morning. I was still tired but there were things to do today.

“Come on Marine, it’s time to rise and shine,” I told Greg, and he rolled over and looked at me.

“What did you mean when you said ‘the southern continent’ last night?” he asked before getting out of bed.

“Because that is the unknown factor. No one seems to know anything about what goes on there. There are no maps, no weather reports, and no communication, plus no one visits there,” I told him. “Now, how would a supposedly primitive people manage that?” I asked to a frown from him.

“They couldn’t, obviously,” he answered.

“So, they are not so primitive and may be more advanced than we are,” I told him before sniffing both of us.

“WE need a shower,” I told him donning a robe and picking up my shower kit. Greg was still dressing as I checked the hallway.

“All clear,” I told him and headed for the shower while he returned to his room to get his shower kit.

The next couple of hours were hectic. Breakfast then checking that all of those going were ready. This was followed by checking on the vehicles and ensuring that all of the supplies were ready and loaded. The Marines had all of their people and vehicles ready when Greg and I checked. I also checked that the portable freezers for the Partner’s food were full, loaded, and functioning.

By 0800, we were ready and pulled out of the compound. Our convoy was arranged as follows: 1st Squad’s assault vehicle was in the lead. They were followed by Team A-23’s vehicle and then 2nd Squad’s assault vehicle. Our assault vehicle was next, and we were followed by 3rd Squad’s assault vehicle which brought up the rear. The lead assault vehicle would be changed every two hours.

We had a long run ahead of us and would need to refuel at some point. S-2 had provided us with maps and pictures of the route that we would be taking. The road appeared to be in good condition. They had also supplied us with maps of the area around Vientiane. Additionally, they had supplied us with the weather report for the area for the next five days. It being the dry season, there was only the possibility of light local rain showers in the weather report.

It was 400 miles (645 km) to Vientiane, so at 50 mph (80kph) that translated to eight hours on the road, if there were no problems. That didn’t seem likely given the current situation on Owen’s World. I remained awake for the first couple of hours, but after a time I was ready to nod off. So was Greg. The radio man from commo, who was riding with us, had already been lulled to sleep by the sound of the tires.

“Corporal,” I called to the driver. “I’m going to take a short nap. Wake Major Roanoke and me at the first hint of any trouble or at the next change of the lead,” I told him and his assistant. Greg was nearly asleep already. Della and Jong were also riding with us. It wasn’t as private as I would have preferred, but that was the way it was. Most of the rest of the vehicle was filled food and a few other necessary supplies, so no one else would see us leaning against each other asleep in our vehicle restraints.

“Della, you’re in command while we are asleep,” I told her, as she and Jong didn’t appear ready to take a nap.

We had been on the road for nearly six hours, when a message came in from the lead vehicle, which was now 3rd Squad. Greg and I had been awake for some time now.

“Sir, we are coming up on that truck stop shown in the pictures. Do we want to stop for fuel?” asked the Platoon Sergeant.

“Yes, everyone pull in there but don’t get in line at the fuel pumps yet. I’ll send the Interpreter to clear the way,” I told him, and turned to Della and Jong who were awake again. That was when I realized that I hadn’t gotten the fuel cards while checking on everything else.

“Oh my God, I forgot the fuel cards!” I exclaimed in shock. Della smiled at me.

“I picked them up from Rodeo this morning. I gave the Marines’ cards to the Platoon Leader and the Platoon Sergeant. They are riding in 1st Squad’s and 3rd Squad’s vehicles,” she told me with a smile, much to my relief.

“Thanks!” I told her with a sigh of relief as this could have been a major disaster. “We will need Jong and you to speak to those in charge here about us using the fuel cards,” I told her as we slowed to enter the truck stop, as that was what the swing down monitor in the front of the vehicle’s passengers compartment was now showing.

“Right, as soon as we stop,” she agreed. In the meantime, Greg was on his radio.

“Liaison to all vehicle commanders: deploy half of each squad on guard duty while we refuel. Acknowledge,” he sent. The acknowledgments quickly came in. The refueling went well, as those running the truck stop were familiar with the use of fuel cards. Everyone got to stretch their legs, as we also stopped so those interested or just hungry could shop from the many vendors at the truck stop.

“The food should be safe as long as it has been cooked. Some of the fruit may be safe to eat also,” Jong assured us.

It was nearly 1700 before we pulled up in front of the government offices in New Vientiane. There was actually a liaison person still there to meet us. He led us to the hotel that they had set aside for us. I was more than a little shocked by this.

“How did this happen!” I wondered out loud when we were back in the vehicle.

“I arranged it yesterday when I went into the city. The government is a lot more cooperative now that the Woos are out of the way,” Della told me.

“The hotel and several other businesses here belonged to a Woo Cousin – a very unpopular Woo Cousin. The local government arrested him and put him in prison as soon as they learned that most of the Woos had died,” Jong informed us.

The hotel wasn’t first class but it was decent enough and large enough for all of our people to have a bed if not a single room. Greg and I volunteered to share a room so Team A-23’s Feline Partners could be accommodated inside. The Falcons had found a nice place to nest on the roof of the hotel. Greg and the Platoon Leader, a Lieutenant, made the security and guard arrangements. I talked to Mercy Bland, Team A-23’s Magic user, about wards.

“It won’t be a problem, sir,” she told me. “I’ll cast a ward on each of the vehicles individually. That will be easier than trying to cover the entire parking area. I’ll cast a ward around the hotel once everyone is back tonight,” she added.

There were a couple of restaurants near the hotel, and Jong picked the largest one to arrange for all of us to eat there that night. Considering that there were 58 of us and that Marines have big appetites that was a wise decision. Della also had vouchers to pay for the meals.

Bland’s decision to ward the individual vehicles rather than the entire parking area had an unexpectedly good result. We could position each vehicle to the best advantage to observe the area, and those on guard could remain in the vehicles and use the vehicle’s electronic systems and sensors to observe the area they were responsible for. They could keep in contact with the operations center that the Marines set up in the hotel and report any suspicious activity. They changed every two hours and all three shifts could sleep in the vehicle when not on duty. They would be allowed to sleep in, in the morning while we consulted with the local government about guerrilla activities.

We were up at our usual time, 0530, but skipped PT today. By 0615, it was light out, and Team A-23 launched the Falcons for an early morning aerial survey looking for trouble or problems in the area around us. The Cougars and their Human Partners went out to check the area around the hotel on the ground for the same problems. Both surveys revealed nothing to worry about.

The hotel did have a kitchen, and the cook, who came with us, made breakfast for us the next morning with help from part of Team A-23 and a number of Marines. Breakfast turned out well enough.

By 0730, MSG Moran, Greg, and I were ready to visit the local government officials and get an update on the guerrilla situation. That is we were until Jong informed us that their offices wouldn’t be open until 0900. It seems that the locals kept bankers hours, as they closed down at 1630 and took an hour for lunch at midday.

There wasn’t anything that we could do about that, so I pulled up the map of Vientiane on my battle board, and the three of us studied the layout of the city. At least we tried to. It turned out that New Vientiane was at least as large and complex a city as New Bangkok with even more twisted and narrow streets. It too was located on the River which dictated its layout as the river made several turns or jogs in the vicinity of the city. Fortunately, there were a couple of large highways that ran through the city. What we learned from the local government would determine in which direction we would leave the city.

Shortly before 0900, we loaded into Team A-23’s truck, and Jong directed us to the government’s buildings. I had decided to take Cleve’s approach when meeting with the local government’s officials, and had brought Mike and Mindy, the Cougars plus their Human Partners, to help clear the way. While they weren’t as large as the Tigers, they were larger Felines than the locals were used to seeing. They did clear the way. Della had also come with us and went to see their supply section.

At 0930, we met with the local Governor or Regional Ruler. Jong translated what I told him after the usual bows and greetings. I explained why we were there, and what we intended to do. He smiled and bowed nicely but didn’t have a clue what we were doing there. He did, however, call in his Chief of Security who took us to their operation center and gave us a briefing on the local situation. He spoke fair Standard, but needed to resort to Lao for part of the briefing Jong told us.

“Everything okay except one area,” he said near the end of the briefing. “Only have trouble here,” he told us pointing to an area on the map that was basically north of the city. “Verly bad here Khangnonglouang Nahuang. Guerrilla have support by outside people. No Lao people. Cause much trouble,” he told us.