Episode 13

Chapter 34

Captain Amy 'Rolling Stone' Stone, U.S.A.F.

3am.

(1 pm local time.)

I stood on the windswept deck of the carrier waiting for the Hades to land.

I was not the only person.

Besides me was Thunderfeet. She wanted to know why her daughter was aboard.

Also beside me was Vice Admiral Bright. He wanted to meet my son, try and convince him to at least respect the Navy. He was carrying a radio set tuned to the tower frequency.

That alone was attracting a crowd. I think every off duty person on this ship was trying to get a view of this.

"I wish he had warned me about this beforehand. I'd have tried to arrange a pickup point at Malta or someplace." I told Thunderfeet. "I'm worried somebody is not paying attention to their work."

The Vice Admiral's radio squawked. "A channel has been opened with the Hades. Captain Stone is standing by."

"Good job." Bright responded. "Ask him to keep the channel open and standby." The Vice Admiral took another look around the deck. "All right, you gawkers. This is not a tourist ship. Those with duties better be doing them. Everybody else, look impressive. If we handle this right, the Navy will have a very powerful friend."

The radio sounded again. "Stone is standing by."

"Guide him in. Have him do an overflight of the deck. Tell him that we are doing this to show respect."

We all watched the Hades circle the deck.

The flight deck officer stared fixatedly at it. "Why can't we have such a craft? If some kid can, why can't we??"

Bright had no answer to that.

The chief engineer had talked himself into the welcoming party. He had been muttering under his breath for a few minutes. Then louder he said, "I'd commit mass murder for the secrets of that craft. If even one of the many wild ideas I have about that thing is right, a squadron of those could hold off everything the U.S. Navy could throw at them."

Bright had an answer for that. "You will do nothing to in anyway upset that teenager. He holds the answer to a mission the U.S. Navy has wanted to do for some time. We never could get the budget for it. I'd hand the fleet over to his mother for the rest of the year to get the answers to that mission."

"Not Flight Fifty Three?"

"Yes. My father's uncle's name and pension was destroyed because he disappeared on a dangerous mission. The Navy Command of the time used him as a scapegoat and legal penalties destroyed that side of the family."

"If he'll cooperate." Rolling Stone added.

"You heard me?" Bright didn't know whether to be pissed or not.

"Pilots, you often say, live or die on their awareness."

"True."

The Vice Admiral's radio sounded. "The Hades is requesting formal permission to land on the carrier."

"Granted."

We watched as the Hades started to descend.

Suddenly it went into a dive towards the audience. A blueish glow appeared.

The crowd scattered. Some went towards the incoming ship. Others ran towards the deck hatches. A few even jumped overboard.

A red alert klaxon sounded.

There was a terrific explosion.

Chapter 35

Anna 'Tunderfeet' Cork

3:15am.

(1:15pm local time.)

There was a very big explosion.

Very, very big.

By the time the fire response teams arrived, the pieces fell into place. Rolling Stone's son's ship had moved to intercept something.

My God, Ashley was aboard that ship. I ran towards the billowing smoke. I was shoving people out of my way heedless of their rank. If anything was left of her, I wanted to see if anything could be done for her.

Rolling Stone was right behind me, then she grabbed me.

"Let me go. I have to get to her."

She held me back long enough for others to help. How I will never know.

"Relax," she said. "there's nothing you can do, and nothing you need to do."

Then the scene went surprisingly silent.

Rising above the flames like a phoenix was the Hades.

It landed at an empty spot on the deck.

I kept turning my head between the fiery area and the untouched craft that just landed.

The fire control teams got the situation under control. The bridge officer started rescue operations.

We, the welcoming party, plus everybody on the deck not fighting the fire gathered around the Hades.

Everybody stared like we expected extraterrestrial life forms to step forth.

Instead, two teenagers came out.

I and Amy ran over to them. "Ashley! Are you okay??"

"I'm fine mother. Just a little shaken."

"Just shaken? You sure?? That was a large explosion."

Meanwhile Amy rushed over to Jacob. "You ok?"

"Of course. Though that is the last time I throw my ship between 20 plus badly lashed down missiles and a crowd without raising more than secondary shields."

Bright was staring at them. "But you're unharmed. You're ship's undamaged. That's not possible. The report said a full battle load went loose, upwards of 50 missiles, you can't be unharmed."

"Can't I?" Jacob raised his eyebrows.

He looked at his mother. "Is this sort of thing normal?"

"No. The Vice Admiral will have somebody's balls for this."

"I hope so. I didn't have much time to operate once the warnings systems aboard the ship sounded. The crowds left me with no space to keep the shock waves away from the Hades. I'm sorry Ashley. Rattling you to your bones was not part of today's plans."