Episode 42

Chapter 171

Major General Edwards

1:06 am, November 4th, 2006

7:06 pm November 4th, 2006 (local time)

The Marine General representing the Committee was beginning to wonder if he wouldn't rather fight a hopeless battle against all powerful aliens bent on wiping out all life as he knew it. At least then he'd know more about what to do. None of his training ever covered the situation he was in now. Now some of the politicians were embracing a force that the country was technically at war with.

I guess that's what it all boils down to. A possible war. I must act accordingly until I have a valid reason not to.

I faced the others. "Is there any indication the Density Force is attacking any American interests outside of Camp Carter?"

"No Sir."

"Is the Density Force intervening in any American affairs outside of Palestine or the killing of bin Laden?"

"No Sir."

"What is the current information on General Colt?"

"We think he was picked up by the Association people aboard the stolen craft."

"Do we know where that craft is?"

"Yes. They are making no attempt to hide."

Anybody with one of those ships really does need to hide.

Then an Air Force Colonel said something that had me start worrying. "Maybe they don't know how. The other ships cloaked during their journeys."

"Oh god. They have a ship that makes our best stuff look like a kids attempt at engineering, and they don't have full control. This could be trouble."

Somebody picked up the phone. She had a whispered conversation. Then she looked up. "Sir, we have an incoming call from the Density Force."

"Which line?" I started looking for an available phone.

"That's just it Sir. They are asking for a visual link."

"Do it."

Everybody turned to stare at the screen in the wall.

A teenaged boy in a high school jacket appeared on the screen. "Who is the ranking officer there?" he asked without preamble.

"Who wants to know? Are you speaking for the Density Force?

"No, I'm speaking for the person who speaks for the Density Force right now. Now give me a name."

"Who are you to speak to me in that tone?"

"Do you really want to know? Now give me a name I can give my leader, or I will recommend that we send a few ships over there to find out in person. Trust me, it will be far messier." The student's tone dropped into the sub artic. "Or are you a friend of that ass Colt??"

I swallowed my pride. It didn't really matter how this kid acted towards me. He's probably one of Jacob's friends. Given what happened to his friend, I think he is being rather restrained. "Very well. I am Major General Edwards, United States Marine Corps."

The teenager nodded. "Stand by."

The screen went blank briefly.

When the picture returned there was an American naval officer standing there. She had one of those high school jackets draped on her shoulders, covering her rank.

Smart move. That forces me to think about her as somebody besides an American officer.

"Good morning, Major General Edwards. I have been informed you are representing the Pentagon for this conference."

"That is true. May I please know whom I am conferring with? You appear to be an American officer from the ribbons showing."

"Indeed. I am Captain Amy Stone, United States Naval Air Force. However I am conducting this call as Jacob Stone's mother and therefore will be using the rank of Acting Supreme Commander of the Density Force."

"Understood. How may we be of assistance?"

"This conference concerns the war we are involved in. I'd like to say that this war was unintended and unwanted. Unfortunately, the best I can say is that it is unwanted. As far as I could tell, the teens felt at the time that Colt was acting as a member of the American military establishment. They fully intended to make a point to us all."

"They? Us? Where do you stand on this?"

"With both sides. I had to choose the Density Force to help contain things."

"I see. Well, what message do you have?"

"I will contain the war to this base and wherever Colt is. I promise that at this point, the Density Force has no plans to attack any US mainland bases. Bases outside the continental United States can be discussed in the future. However, if a base supports Colt or tries to protect him, we will attack. There is no way I'm letting him escape after what he did to my son. General Hambright at NORAD has been recognized by the Density Force as go-between for further negotiations. However, if a nuclear missile is detected flying towards this base, or any density ship, all bets are off. Trust me when I say those are not stakes you want to face."

I was shocked.

Maybe a little scared.

What utter madman had the audacity, no make that the complete stupidity to give those orders??

And can I be, please be, the one to kill him?

"Forgive me, but what in god's name are you talking about."

"God's name is precisely the authority President Twiggery invoked when ordering the missile attack on this base. Luckily, nobody obeyed. General Hambright told me about it during our talk. The fact that he and those under his command were willing to resist that order commended him to us."

I was horrified.

And disgusted.

Any last thoughts about the President being reasonable in any way were gone. Oh shit. "Is he that stupid? Even if he succeeded, he'd have pissed off the remaining teenagers. God only knows what they would have done in retaliation."

"God may know but I doubt we want to find out." Amy Stone replied.

"I'll spread the word as best as I can. This war will not go nuclear. I won't let it."

"Good. As long as it stays conventional, we can try to contain it."

The communication ended.

Chapter 172

Rear Admiral Bright

1:10 am, November 4th, 2006

2:10 pm, November 4th, 2006 (local time)

My office was attached to my cabin. My cabin even had a private dining room. Somehow attached to both the office and the dining room is a conference room.

Unfortunately all these rooms were still attached to the aircraft carrier.

Normally that does not bother me. Normally. Unfortunately, I needed time to think. If half of what my Annapolis classmate told me is true, then I must decide on the biggest sort of career gamble I can make outside of being in an actual shooting war.

I double checked that I was alone. Then I put my head in my hands and rested it on my desk.

Why me??

Any choice I make will annoy somebody.

Odds are that somebody will be able to kill my career.

There was a knock at my door.

I tried to ignore it.

The knocking continued.

I gave up trying to ignore it. I straightened my uniform and called out "Enter."

An Army General entered.

I stood up. We offered each other mutual salutes. "Welcome."

"Thank you. I am General Hambright of NORAD."

"Welcome, General Hambright to the USS Independence. I must confess to being curious as to why you are here."

"I'm going to come straight to the point. I have been assigned and accepted as the go-between between the United States military and the Density Force. I have received reports that Captain Amy Stone is assigned to your command. Captain Stone is the current spokeswoman for the Density Force."

"She is?"

"Yes."

"What happened? She was only picked up a few days ago by her son to go to a family funeral in central Asia."

"A lot happened. Before I get into it all, I should mention that I have also received reports that you and the two Stones had a meeting."

"That's right. There was some malfunction with the missile storage. The younger Stone detected it in his ship and dove in to take the brunt of the explosion. We had to have a meeting to fill in the accident report. It would have seemed more like an excerpt from a science fiction book if it was not for the fact that most of my senior staff and I witnessed the whole thing ourselves."

"How would you characterize the meeting?"

"Odd."

"Can you please explain?"

"It's nothing I can really point to. It is just a bunch of situational impressions that run together."

"I see. Can you describe Stone's attitude at that time?"

"Confusing."

"Confused?"

"No, confusing. It was confusing to me how anybody, even an ultra genius of a teenager could feel so many conflicting things at once."

"What do you mean?"

"First there were a lot of anti-military undertones. Without saying it, his tone and bearing indicated his hatred with the military. This confused me because I learned his entire family was in the military. Later I overheard why. I'm still confused as to how somebody that smart can still jump to such conclusions."

"Just because somebody is smart does not mean they can not make mistakes. What other impressions did you get?"

"About his brilliance. He was acting as if he was tired of it. He was acting as if what he considered obvious should have been obvious to us all, and that it drove him crazy to have to work things through for us lesser mortals. He never said that phrase. I'll give him that. But you don't have to say things for people to hear them. I did get the idea that he was both accepting of the fact he was ridiculously smart and how that made him the person everybody went to for answers."

"That fits with what we've learned about him. What is your degree in?"

"Military psychology. That's what makes my next impression the scariest of them all. Jacob Stone had been pushed too far by the time I saw him. He must have had something happen to him recently because he was acting as if nothing really mattered anymore. He no longer cared about his achievements. His life he thought was nothing special. The only reason he continued was out of habit."

I could plainly see that General Hambright did not see the danger such a mood presented.

"This means if he is provoked, there is a large chance he will let the rage he feels about the rest of his life spread over onto whatever provoked him."

"Then we are in deep trouble when he is back."

"What do you mean? He's not taking the death of his brother that bad is he?"

"No. To start with, did you know that General Colt tried to steal his ship and kidnap him on the way here?"