Episode 51

Chapter 221

Diane

6:43 pm, November 4th, 2006

11:43 am November 5th, 2006 (local time)

I watched the map roll on my screen. It was programmed apparently to keep pace with the Flying Dutchman's current location. Right now it showed us crossing over the Eastern Shore.

I sooo liked this craft. There are times when girls wish they could be invisible so that they could hear more about what others thought or noticed.

Right now I was effectively invisible. I know this because the Flying Dutchman just flew over Dover Air Force Base without causing a single alarm to sound. This kind of thing almost makes one feel godlike. Or it my case, goddess like.

A few minutes later I made a course correction. "That will do it. We're on our final course leg now."

"Thank you." Tiffany answered me. She leaned forward a bit in the control seat. "Debbie. Is the Hades still in the District of Columbia?"

"Yep. Sitting as pretty as you please. If I'm reading this properly, the Hades is just off of the Rose Garden."

"Rose Garden? As in the White House Rose Garden?"

Debbie nodded her answer to that.

Karen shook her head in resignation. "We should have known."

"Shouldn't we let Base Command know what we are doing?" I asked. I was pretty sure that we were breaking some rule. My only question was whether it was a rule the Density Force recognized.

Tiffany nodded. "Time indeed to let Base Command know we are back in the game. Mr. Mason, could you open a channel to Base Command?"

"Sure." he hit a few controls. "We have Lou standing by for visual."

"Thank you. Activate the visual."

Lou's face appeared on the screen. "What can I do for you?"

"Just checking in to see if our orders have changed, or if we're still supposed to destroy the Hades on sight."

"Ah, yes. About that." Lou looked down at something for a second. "There are new orders on that. You are to observe the Hades and watch what goes on around it."

"That's it?" Tiffany was a bit surprised by this change. "I thought you guys were really upset that they had the ship, that you wanted it back or else destroyed."

"That's still true. But the Stones' made a deal with General Hambright. They promised not to attack any military targets in the continental United States unless they attacked us first."

"How about if they harbor our enemies?"

"I think there is something in there about that."

"I see. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Base Command out."

Tiffany thought for a few minutes. "Mr. Mason, I'm about to do another thing you're not going to like. I ask for you to trust that I know what I'm doing."

Mr. Mason looked at Tiffany. "I'll go along. I just hope I do not regret this."

"Thank you. Open a channel to General Hambright at NORAD."

"What are you going to do?" I asked her.

"Remind them that the Density Force is not entirely in the Middle East."

"Be careful. Remember that the policy of the Density Force as far as I've been able to follow it is not to burn every bridge."

"I will not burn them all. But I reserve the right to aim a couple flamethrowers."

"I expected you would." Mr. Mason chuckled darkly. "The channel to General Hambright is open."

"On screen."

Mr. Mason hit a few buttons. "Ready."

"Good evening, General Hambright. In case you do not remember, I'm Captain Tiffany French of the Flying Dutchman."

"I know. Mrs. Stone told me about you."

"She did, did she? Well, we were just told about the deal she made with you. Accordingly I have to tell you I am declaring the White House a target for sheltering Colt and his crew."

"That's something the deal allows. What are you going to do?"

"Probably come in cloaked, and then strike as strong as we can to render it inoperable. We don't want to destroy it completely, especially as the blast radius might reach a quarter mile."

"More like three dozen miles." Jacob interrupted. "I'm not sure. I never tried to blow up one of my own ships before. Speaking of which, you have three hours to get any of your allies out of the area before I activate the self destruct."

It had just become a conference call.

Luckily two of the parties to the call were not running on bad emotions right now.

"You can't do that!" both of the other parties in the call shouted back at once.

Jacob just raised an eyebrow.

Hambright got his objections in first. "What about all the people in that area? They are innocent of Colt's crimes. Hell, most of them have no idea what's going on. You can't kill millions of people just to solve the problem of one ship."

Tiffany followed up. "Not only the people. What about the museums, the national treasures that are down there. You told me once that the past was the forecaster of the future. If you believe that you cannot destroy the cultural heritages protected down there."

There was a long pause.

"Damn it, you are both right. Washington DC shall not be destroyed. Instead I shall plan a show of force. Tiffany, move the Dutchman to a safe observational position. If the Hades moves, follow it."

Chapter 222

General Smith

7:20 pm, November 4th, 2006

12:20 pm November 5th, 2006 (local time)

I'd rather face an irate congressional committee of inquiry then the meeting that is due to happen next. At least with the congressional committee I would know where I stood. That's not so with Jacob Stone. The kid's been on a roller coaster ride of feelings since he first heard about his brother's death. What's happened since then has not helped much with his equilibrium.

There was a knock on the door.

I took one last look around. Everything was in place. "Enter please."

First to arrive was Major Stone. He entered with a slight hesitation.

As well he might. It was now a time of transition. With his son back, he and his wife were no longer the leaders of the Density Force. They had a choice they needed to make soon. Would they return to active duty in the United States armed forces, or would they join their son permanently? The choice is his to make, but he needs to make it soon.

Next to arrive was Jacob Stone. He was wheeled in by one of the teenagers that made up the Density Force.

Jacob looked around. He indicated the chair on his father's right.

The teenager nodded once. He picked up the chair and put it off to the side. Then he wheeled Jacob's chair into the spot the chair previously occupied. "Anything else I can do for you?"

Jacob looked around the room. "Yes Johann. Please step outside and make sure we are not disturbed."

Johann nodded. "Yes Jacob."

Jacob held up his hand. "One other thing. Find out Ashley's plans for the remainder of the weekend without contacting her. I may want to join her, but I do not want her changing them in any unwarranted deference to me."

"Certainly, Jacob. I'll do it immediately."

"Thank you."

I watched as Johann walked out to take up his post. I found it interesting that Jacob accomplished more with a quiet set of words then most officers I knew did with lots of shouting.

Then I took the time to look both of them over. Major Stone sat rigidly in his chair. He was projecting both authority and respect. I'm guessing the authority was aimed at his son and the respect at me. There was another notable thing about his appearance. He was dressed in his class A uniform, right down to his sword. He was dressed as if he was about to attend a promotion ceremony, as opposed to being seated at a meeting where he was going to lose the unique position of power he currently held. Jacob on the other hand looked a lot different then I expected. He was clean shaven and his hair was freshly cut. His broken glasses had been replaced. From the waist up he was dressed and groomed as if he was attending a political meeting. Well in a way, he was. From the waist down he still was covered in blankets. I guess they are still trying to get clothes made to cover the leg casting. Jacob's face was blank with the barest hint of a pleasant grin. It was obvious to me that both were making statements before even speaking. Jacob was saying that he was recovered enough to deal with the mess we caused. The hint of a grin looked like the kind all clever people wear when it amuses them to solve everybody else's problems. Major Stone's statement was saying that he wanted to be a marine again, but was still going to look out for his son.

I decided to give him a simple test to prove my unspoken thoughts are correct. Without coming out and saying it, I'm going to order him to tell Jacob why we are meeting today. "Major, I think you should tell your son what's brought us to this point."

"Certainly, General." Major Stone half turned to his son. "Jacob, how much have you pieced together about the Density Force's attack on Camp Carter?"

Jacob spoke with none of the recent anguish that I had heard he had. His voice was clear, even and he enunciated each word as though he was an Oxford English professor. "What happened is exactly what I expected would happen. It was a choice I wish I never had to make. Nonetheless I'm not so deep into my scientific creating that I am unaware of the world around me. And the typical mentality of the human beings that inhabit it."

I should not have been surprised. But I was. "You expected them to attack this base?"

"No. I expected trouble. So I let into the Density Force somebody who used a tool I prefer not to. Death. The only need for this person to take command was if I were incapacitated before I could pass the mantle to somebody else. It was that exact situation that I planned for. The success of this plan showed me that I was both right to think I would need such preparations, and right to expect to regret at least some of the results."

"That's what we need to know, if you are aware what happened next."

"Very well dad. You want a rundown from my view. You shall get one. It will be based on what happened, with things held back if they are not material to this conversation." Jacob's voice became clipped, absolute. "What happened was simple. I was taken by Colt's forces. The way they did it isolated me from getting any messages out. They thought they were being clever. What they were foolish enough to forget was one vital thing. The absence of a message can sound as loud, if not a lot louder than a message given normally. A group got together to rescue me. Expectations would have been one ship. Things got out of hand a little."

"A little??" I gasped. "My base, the wounded, the dead!!"

Jacob's voice now had none of affability it had before. "Be silent General. It is now my turn. Things started getting out of hand with the recruitment drive. Apparently I failed to compensate for the fact that the high school gossip net does not shut down for the night. This led those running things at the time to launch a full scale attack force. As it was later explained to me, the realization that Colt's people had infiltrated the base so well meant they figured that for at least the beginning of the battle, they would be fighting the whole base. They did so. Successfully. All the rescues were carried out, either immediately, or as soon as they were aware there was a need to do that rescue. My parents took command about that point and accomplished the surrender of the base. Colt escaped with the Hades. The Density Force took over local military affairs. In time I recovered and retook control. The next moves are still being made. That is all."

Time to start reasserting my control around here for real. Everything I've learned tells me that the Density Force does not want war with the United States. No, that's not all. I snapped. I was getting slightly nettled by this teen's attitude. How could he discuss what happened as if he was with a bunch of friends discussing whether to go out for chicken or pizza? "Tell him, Major."

This time nobody could mistake the intention. It was clearly an order.

"How dare you talk to my father like..." Jacob started.

"It is alright Jacob. We all knew this moment would come soon enough. Remember that your group spent a lot of time trying to keep your mother and I out of the line of trouble so this time would go smoother? What you also need to know is that we accept our responsibilities. And that includes you."

"I see. What did you do, father?"

"I do not think I deserve that tone. I did what I needed to do to save lives. Lives on both sides."

"Go on." Jacob's tone softened, if only a little.

"I made a deal with General Smith here. In exchange for the bases surrender, you and I would agree to a punishment of his choosing."

"Indeed."

The others who heard that comment half expected that the desert outside would be turned into an arctic wasteland from the chill in that statement.

Jacob continued. "And why, in the name of all that has ever been worshiped on this planet would I, Jacob Jehosophat Stone, Supreme Commander of the Density Force itself, possibly wish to comply with any terms from the base that incarcerated me???"

Why do I get the sense of impending disaster??

I suddenly got the most unmarine like urge to duck behind my desk.

"Jacob, you'll do it because I told you to." Major Stone's voice was uncompromising.

Neither was Jacob's voice. However, Jacob's voice also had disbelieving shock added on top of it. "Oh you do, do you?" Jacob paused, as if he was trying to grasp the enormity of the concept. "You do indeed? Have you forgotten that someplace on this base my cat was shot? My cat for the fate's sake. Not even a lifeform with opposable thumbs. And that's before we get into all that was done to my family. And I'm supposed to be in the mood to be merciful?"

"I know he's special to you, but he's just an animal." General Smith learned how big a mistake he made moments after he finished making it.

Jacob's temper went through the roof at that at speeds normally reserved for people driving on the German autobahn. "An animal?? Just an animal??? Need love be based on sentience? Then how about what nearly happened to my mother? What would have happened to my traveling companion if they had caught her?? This meeting is concluded. Think carefully before you presume to judge my actions. In terms card players use, I not only have the trump card, I hold most of the rest of the deck." Jacob wheeled himself out.

What did I say wrong?

"I'm sorry Sir." Major Stone apologized. "I think I better go." he gestured towards the door his son just stormed out of.

"Dismissed, Major."

"Thank you, Sir." he hurried after his son.

I waited a few minutes to makes sure, and then called out "You heard?"

Admiral Bright stepped out of my closet. "Yes. Not the smoothest of meetings, from both sides."

"It looks like your work is cut out for you." I commented.

Chapter 223

Lt. Anna Cork

7:46 pm, November 4th, 2006

12:46 pm November 5th, 2006 (local time)

Something is bothering her. A mother can tell. Especially when it involves her daughter. The problem is figuring what it is that is, as the youth say these days, stressing her out. Is it Jacob? Is it the accusations of her former coach? Is that what brought her to this point?