Chapter 14

Wednesday October 8^th, 2014

"Captain, do you have a moment?"

I looked up and realized for the first time that I had visitors. Jennifer was standing before me along with the other 7 members of her team. There was also someone else with them, a man who looked to be in his early 40's. He probably stood somewhere around 1.9 meters tall and probably weighed a touch over 100 kilograms. They were all wearing Earth's standard fatigues, pressed all the way down to their shiny black boots. Straightening I remembered I hadn't seen these women since they last left me with the command to find a teacher. And by the looks of this new guy they'd found their man so to speak.

"How can I help you ladies?" I asked leaving my experiments for a moment.

"I'd like to introduce you to First Sargent Michael Moore."

The indicated man stepped forward and saluted me sharply, surprisingly in the federation fashion. I returned the salute as well even though I wasn't actually in the service. It seemed more like a greeting of warriors than the rote meeting of two people. The two of us shook hands next and he had a firm enough handshake.

"It's nice to meet you Sargent. I take it you're the one they found to train them?"

"Yes I am, Derrick sought me out."

"Really?" I was a bit surprised by that. I didn't know that Derrick had connections to the military.

"Yes, he and I grew up together. We just happened to bump into each other just after all this mess began. I settled into a life of farming until recently. He approached me and told me of the conversation you had with the ladies here. I must admit I was getting a little bored with farming so I decided to talk to the girls to see if they were serious. I'd tried this before when we first settled here but none of the others were interested in anything except learning to load and fire a rifle. I'd heard of the rescue from several other people who'd heard from other people what happened. I decided to get the story from the horses mouth so to speak. When they just confirmed what I'd already heard I decided this was probably the last chance to do some good."

"So, the question that stands now is, are they any good?" All the women were standing rigid, expressions blank.

"Sir, they've shown an unwavering drive to succeed. I'd say that they were more than adequate for your needs Sir."

I could tell by the proud way he stood with his chest puffed out showed that he was VERY proud of these girls. I took a look at the women, really looking at them. Though some had obviously filled out, none showed that unhealthy look that extreme body builders of earth had shown in the past. The twinkle in their eyes showed that they appreciated the remarks from their teacher. I'm sure what I had to say next would shock them completely.

"I'm sorry but I don't think I can accept them,"

I didn't even get to finish taking a breath before the tirade began. There were a lot of unkind words, words not even worth repeating or getting mad at since I knew I was playing a trick on them. I held up my hands for silence and it was slow coming.

"If you'd give me a moment to finish please, I was going to say that I wouldn't accept them," I held up my hand before they could begin again.

"Unless you agreed to join as well," I said looking directly at Michael. "I'll be the first to admit that I don't know what a ground force would need to operate efficiently. I'd probably just get them killed out of ignorance. I'd much rather have someone I could ask to do a job and they make sure it gets done right."

Michael took a moment to look at the girls. There were several nods and not a few smiles. I could tell that the idea appealed to the women just as much as it did to me. It didn't' take that long before the two of us was shaking hands in agreement.

"There is a catch though," this seemed to bring everyone up short. I told them about the nano's and what they could do. I could actually see the wheels turning in the Sergeants mind.

Friday November 14^th

Jennifer

"Are you ready to go Sargent?"

"Yes Captain, everyone is in position," Jennifer said.

"Move in when you're ready."

The eight of us were given the signal. We quickly moved in to the service entrance. The drone we'd sent in earlier attached to the belly of a truck had cut the alarm so we had no fear when we pried open the doors using the augmented strength of our new battle suits. I felt a little silly wearing an idea from a video game but hey if it works it works. The doorway led to a ladder that dropped down into the darkness We used the anti-gravity drives in our boots to lower us slowly using the ladder as a brace to keep us oriented to the access hatches located on each floor going down. Our goal was 8 floors under the earth and we all gathered around the entrance. Scanners showed no one was near the hatch so with a little help from the on board computer we cracked the security code and went inside. We were in a corridor that led about 80 yards down and then branched out in two different directions creating a T in it's design. There were doors on both sides every 10 yards or so. We ducked into the first on the left. Scanners showed that it was some kind of storage room so we felt reasonably safe to regroup in here.

We had three objectives here. There were a total of 14 Valcun's located at various points on this floor. We'd decided it would be best to split into two three man teams. These teams would head out to kill the Valcun's before they had a chance to activate an alarm of some kind. The last team would head down two floors and blow the power core located there. It was of Valcun design and we didn't want that kind of power in any governments hands. Even if it was a shadow of it's former glory.

The first team left for the shaft and began there decent. The second team consisted of Michelle, Rebecca and Christine. While my team consisted of Ashley, Janet and myself. We waited for Sarah and Anna to give the signal that they were in place. Our two teams would head down the hall together separating at the 'T' and continue down to the end of the halls. The stealth units in our suits would function for the another 30 minutes before they needed to be recharged so that gave us no time for error. I took Sarah and Anna 4 minutes to get to the power room. They were setting charges that would blow the core then melt down any metals within a 9 meters radius to liquid so that it couldn't be rebuilt. Our two teams left the halls then and quietly headed to our positions We would enter each room containing a Valcun and take them out.

The signal was given and we quickly entered and executed each Valcun we crossed. Seeing them for the first time shouldn't have surprised me but it did. They looked exactly as the Vulcan's did on the TV and movies. We'd been briefed on their appearance but there was something about seeing one in real life that makes the other seem more like a movie character as well. My team made it to the intersection first but barely by 30 seconds. We had 15 minutes left before our cloaks failed and I was confident that we'd make it out in plenty of time to get away. Just as we were picking the locks of the last two doors that led to the remaining three Valcun's all hell broke loose. The building shook as if there were an Earthquake. Sirens began going off and shouts and screams could be heard coming from everywhere. A brief look at the scanner on my wrist showed multiple bodies headed in our direction.

"Drop the cloaks, kill these bastards." I screamed kicking in the door I was previously kneeling in front of. There were two Valcun's inside, upset at being disturbed while having sex. I took a moment to check out his package before I put a round in his chest. I had to stop myself from laughing when I realized how small it was. It looked like something you'd see on a child. "Cover me," I said as I entered the room to finish off the last one. As I approached the bed I realized that something was wrong, the woman wasn't getting up. I could see her moving but she wasn't making a sound or rising from the bed. I approached cautiously in case it was a trick but when I got to the bed I realized that it wasn't needed. Lying on the bed like some kind of bondage queen lay the last Valcun. She was tied to the head board by leather strips her knees were tied as the same point while her ankles had been tied to her thighs. She was wide opened for me to see that she had been used hard and often. There were bruises all over her body some old but most were new. There was a knife lying beside her and I could see the numerous cuts that that decorated her body. At that point I didn't see a species out to enslave our world. What I saw was a woman being raped and beat. The memories exploded through my mind but they were no longer very potent just bad memories that would never go away. I picked up the knife and saw her eyes widen in fear. I quickly cut the bindings on her hands and knees. Her legs flopped to the side uselessly showing that she'd been tied that way for more than just a few hours. She was crying as I lifted my rifle at her. "If you make a sound I'll kill you. Do you understand?" her mouth was gaged and I left it in place she nodded her head that she understood so I lifted her and threw her over my shoulder in the fireman's carry. As I left the room I shot the Male Vulcan's head off and felt a small satisfaction when the blood splattered on the walls.

"What the hell are you doing Jennifer?" I heard Janet ask me as I entered the hall. There were bodies scattered all over the floor and I was surprised that I hadn't heard any return fire.

"Questions later, activate cloaks and head out," I said letting Ashley take point and Janet followed behind me and my prisoner. We made it to the hatch with no further problems. Michelle and her team were already opening the hatch as I approached. She didn't say anything but I'm sure that she had a questionable look on her face behind that cloak and helmet. "Later," I said as I entered the hatch and upped the power to my anti-gravity boots. I started to rise as I once again used the ladder to guide my ascent.

We were soon outside and my scanner showed that Sarah and Anna weren't far behind us. Once all of us were together we headed away and onto the nearby bombing and gunnery range. Our cloaks failed as we were passing through but thankfully there was no pursuit The Captains shuttle de-cloaked before us and we boarded quickly.

"I see you've been shopping," Mike said as I dropped the woman on the auto doc.

"Something like that."

"Care to explain?"

"Sure thing Sarge, follow me so I can get this suit off."

1 hour later

"What happened out there Sarah?"

"Jennifer, everything was going fine. We set the charges, armed them and were ready to bail. Anna headed back to the hatch as planned and I stayed behind to ensure that nothing happened to the charges. I was waiting by the door to the generator when a group of men came inside. They started to check the power core and thats when one of the men noticed a charge. He ran and pressed a button and the alarm went off. I shot him and the others and more came pouring through the door. That's when I got out of there and blasted the damn thing. I tried to get through but the power from the generator was scrambling the signal from my suit."

I listened as Jessica had debriefed each of her teammates. They considered her to be the leader of the team and she seemed to except her role in this. Once Anna's debriefing was over and Sarah's story was confirmed I debriefed Jessica.

"So what made you bring back a Valcun? That wasn't part of your mission."

She blushed at this question and I couldn't tell if this was because of anger or what. She informed me of what was odd when she entered the room. How the look of the woman unsettled her and her conclusion on how the woman must have been treated. She didn't go over blowing the guys brains out and I didn't either. Even though that was an act of over aggression the compassion she showed toward a source of Earth's trouble showed that her anger no longer consumed her.

"So what are your plans for the woman now?"

"We ask her questions, and decide her fate then." I agreed that it was probably the best option we had at the moment. We'd arrived at the base by now and the rest of her team was busy unloading their gear. The Valcun was still in the auto doc and would be for another 30mins so Jennifer and I decided to help get the equipment put away. When we were exiting the craft the space man had arrived in, I noticed that the blond was approaching. Yes I knew her name at this point but there was just something appealing to refer to her as 'The Blond'. Kinda like a top secret name or code.

"How did everything go?" she asked once within ear shot.

"Some ups and downs, a few unexpected problems but overall a good exercise." she'd raised one of her eye brows a the mention of problems but didn't ask us to elaborate. She did pick up some of the gear that had been placed on the ground and traveled with us to store it in a nearby locker room. Once everything was stored a spider bot entered the room as we were leaving. I figured it was there to clean everything up. I could get used to things like this.

The blond didn't seem surprised that Sarah and Janet had kept their side arms. Those two had been picked first for guard duty while we transported our prisoner. Nor was she surprised when Jennifer and Rebecca boarded the ship and then returned with a barely conscious Valcun clutched between them. She had expected this it seemed and I knew we'd been watched during the course of the operation.

The blond led us to Derrick's office and once we were inside we dropped our charge in a near by chair to get some time to fully awaken. The auto doc was great but it sometimes left you groggy for hours. Derrick was sitting at the end of a conference table meant to seat about 20. the space man was here as well and they were talking quietly as we entered. I was told to have a seat so I did about half way down the table. The ladies did as well except Sarah and Rebecca who stood about 5 feet behind the prisoner.

"I see we have a guest." Derrick said trying to be funny. "What made you decide to take her Jessica?" The fact that he knew who'd picked her up confirmed that we had indeed been watched. She didn't miss a beat though as she once again repeated the story she'd told me. They accepted it just as it was and didn't even bother with asking questions to either confirm or disprove what they were told. This spoke a lot of the trust they showed in not only my judgment but the team's as well.

Derrick

"Uh, what ... what happened?" the Valcun female asked now starting to come out of her stupor

"You are safe now, for how long depends a lot on your cooperation." I answered. "Why don't you start by telling us your name."

"Yessenia, my name is Yessenia," her eyes were still a bit out of focus but she was coming around quickly.

"Hello Yessenia, my name is Derrick."

"What's going on where am I? Am I still on Earth?" she asked that last with not a little fear in her voice.

"Yes you are still on Earth and in an underground base," I said purposely being vague.

"Why am I here and not dead? Am I now your prisoner?" the way she emphasized the word 'your' confirmed that she had indeed been held against her will.

"Not yet you aren't, and your further cooperation will determine if that remains the same. Why don't you tell us how you got to be where we found you. She blushed for a minute before she began.

"The team I was with was sent to this sector to locate some new sources for resources. We came across this planet almost three years ago. The normal procedure for crossing a populated planet is to try and make contact with the people here, usually by way of a form of government. We went to what was called the 'White house' and we met this 'President' person. He seemed very happy to see us and asked us lots of questions. He gave us some food and the next thing I know I'm in a cell with these metal bracer's on my wrists that kept me from moving. It seemed that another faction of Valcun's, one thought to be dead for over 100 years had landed on this planet well before we did and had never left. We had been captured and when we didn't join up with them they killed the rest of my team and kept me alive. They said the female they had come with had died in a crash of some sort and they'd been really lonely. I figured that even though they were holding me against my will things could've been worse. Then about 6 months after I got here the humans started dieing. I went to the so called leader of their group and told him. He just laughed at me and told me that that was what they were here for. One night I tried to sneak into the communications room to send a signal to the home world. I was caught before I could and thats when they started punishing me." I watched as she shuddered as the memories of her time here on Earth were relived in her mind.

"So you had no knowledge of what they were planning to do to the people here?" The Captain asked.

"I did not until the plan was already underway. They'd kept me chained and under guard for the most part and they kept a hood on my head." I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the captain flinched. There must have been something very wrong with the idea of having your head covered. "This last time I was in the room with the leader. He liked pain and liked to cut up women and make them bleed. Said it was sexy. He said that this time he was going to put me out of my misery because it was almost time for them to leave. Said that the next contact would be made in a year according to the Earthlings calender, they were going to release some agent that would keep the virus from spreading anymore. Said they had to go to some planet they'd found to get the remaining members of their faction and bring them back here. If there was anyone left alive they'd use them as slave labor to build their new homes," she started to cry then. "They've had me locked up for over three years now. They made me watch as humans started dieing and being reborn into those monsters. They even forced me to watch as those that had changed began to feed on the ones who hadn't. It was so horrible I just wanted to die. Please I'll do anything just don't let them take me back."

My heart went out to her and my natural instinct was to comfort her but in the position I was now in I couldn't afford to show signs of weakness. "Is there any thing else you'd like to tell us?" she couldn't stop crying though so I motioned for her two guards to take her away.

"So what do you think?" I asked once she was out of the room. I directed my question to our otherworldly friend.

"I think you have a year to get ready," he replied.

"It would seem that would be the case, but she said they had to leave to return to some planet to get the others. Maybe they don't know where this planet is?" I was grasping at straws so to speak.

"Maybe, but would you like to bet your life and the lives of all the others that you are correct?"

I knew he had a point, whether or not they knew wasn't the case. The case was what if they 'did' know and we weren't ready? We'd really be in trouble then. "what do you think about our new friend?"

"I feel that she may be trust worthy, but I advise caution until her innocence can be confirmed." I nodded in agreement. "Christine," I heard him call out. It was still a little strange to call out to nothing and receive an answer from nowhere and everywhere.

"Yes Captain?" came the response.

"Please adjust the room where she is taken, settings to accommodate a Valcun."

"Why, what type of setting could she need?" I asked.

"Most Valcun's are xenophobic to one degree or another. This causes them many problems when it comes to sleep. So some artificial means have been developed to help ease there minds when surrounded by people they don't know."