Chapter 43: The Reporter

Leading them out the doors and across the runway to one of the shuttles, they started boarding as Jim Stone scanned the hand camera across the devastation and recorded the burning planes at the end of the runway. Several of the big planes were in the grass with several mechs smothering the flames with what looked like force fields while working through the wreckage. Soldiers went about helping the wounded and covering the dead with tarps.

As the shuttle's ramp started going up several marines rushed up with stretchers carrying badly burned survivors from one of the airliners and shouted, "Hold up! We have critically wounded."

Tim slapped the down switch, and the ramp descended again. In moments the twenty stretchers were carried aboard, as he pulled Ashley down and buried her face into his uniform.

"Don't look, sweetie," he whispered.

He held her head firmly, so that all she saw was his uniform as the stretcher-bearers rushed by with the badly burned people who were moaning in pain, two of the stretchers had small children on them. As the children were carried by, he felt tears run down his face,

He yelled, "Hurry up, we need to get them up to the ship."

Beth watched the sergeant try to protect the little girl. She then looked at the stretchers as they were carried by her, and her stomach started to heave as the smell of burned flesh hit her.

She gasped out, "Oh my God."

She covered her mouth looking for a bathroom.

Jamie watched the reporter, as she turned green. Grabbing her, she guided her into the bathroom.

"Here you go, Ma'am. I will be right outside if you need me."

Closing the door to give her some privacy, Jamie watched as the last stretcher went into the troop compartment.

Beth dropped to her knees and heaved her guts up, with thoughts of the burned people in her mind and the smell of roasted flesh in her nose. Getting to her feet, she flushed the toilet. She never felt the craft lift off. Going to the sink she quickly washed her face hands. She went back out onto the main deck.

Looking at the woman, and then out the window, she said, "Thanks. I gather we are airborne."

"Yes, Ma'am. If you'd follow me, I will take you up to flight ops so you can watch us land if you want."

"Thank you. I would love seeing it."

"Follow me, then."

Jamie led the woman up into flight ops. As they got there, the Washington was about two miles away and they were coming in towards its stern.

Beth looked at the huge warship. There was no doubt in her mind that it was not a warship. With all the strange weapons sticking out all over the ships hull, she asked, "What type of warship is she?"

"She's a battleship, Ma'am," replied Jamie.

Looking at the ship, she could say with an honest heart she was a beautiful ship, but it has to be an alien race that built her and crewed with human. "Well, she's beautiful, I will say that. Now what alien race built her?"

With a small giggle, that she hated, Jamie said, "Built by humans, Ma'am. You're looking at a command battleship of the State class."

Beth whipped her head around. She looked at the woman, and replied, "State class? I ... Where was she built? I know humans didn't build her, there wouldn't be anywhere in the world that something that big could be hidden."

"I will let the Admiral explain that. Now, let's get you strapped in so we can land. If you will follow me, I will get you in a seat near the secondary ramp, so you will not have to see the wounded again."

"Thank you."

Beth followed the woman back out into the main passenger deck and saw her camera operator talking with the Sergeant and the little girl. She went over and sat beside them, listening to the conversation.

"Yes we have cures for cancer, aids, and every other sickness in the world, right now. We can also fix any genetic problem that you may have. Jamie over there was paralyzed, seven years ago, by a drunk driver. She now has the ability to run again, because her crushed spine has been healed."

Beth looked as the young woman blushed at the Sergeants words, and said, "You were paralyzed?"

"Yes I was, I was eleven years old, and was walking home from school when a drunk driver hit me and crushed my lower spine. I now can walk and run, and I am getting married in two months."

Beth looked at the two of them, and said, "Where are you all from? You have all this technology, and you still have drunk drivers?"

Jamie grinned at her question, and said, "I'm from Las Vegas, Nevada. The Sarge there is from Titusville, Florida. My fiancée grew up next door to me, where we lived, and is now an engineer on this ship."

"Jamie, the Admiral will explain. Let's not confuse Ms. Chang anymore then necessary."

"Yes, Sarge, I was just being polite."

Before the sergeant can say anything else, the engines flared and the shuttle set down with a clang.

"Ms. Chang if you and your party would follow me, I will take you to the Admiral."

Tim stood up and walked to the door with Ashley in his arms. As he neared it, it opened and a ramp extended down to the deck below. Going down the ramp, he came to attention and saluted a woman standing there.

Beth followed the sergeant down the ramp and saw a beautiful woman standing at the bottom. Her long brown hair flowed down to her waist as she stood there to meet them.

Sergeant-Major Anderson came down the ramp carrying Ashley with him. "Commander, you look more beautiful every time I see you."

Amy blushed at the complement, "Thank you, Tim. Who is this beautiful little girl?"

Ashley looked at the woman and buried her face into the Sergeants chest.

Tim smiled at the little girl's antics, and said, "This is Ashley, I found her in the airport, her father was supposed to pick her up, and hasn't shown up. I am hoping her daddy's car was only hit with the EMP burst, but I am not sure. I left orders if anyone shows up looking for her to be sent up to the ship."

"You're a good man, Tim. Now, as to why I was sent down here." Turning to the girl behind him she continued, "Ms. Chang, I am Amy the ships AI/interface, I have been sent down to bring you to the Admiral. If you and your camera crew will follow me, I will take you to him and his command staff."

"Thank you, but what is an AI/interface?"

"AI is an acronym meaning Artificial Intelligence. The AI is the computer of this ship. The interface is my human body, connected to the computer. I am using the ships hologram emitters to form my body so that you can see me."

"Oh, Okay. Similar to 'Andromeda'. Well I am Elizabeth Chang. This is my camera operator Jim Stone and my computer operator Rick Torris."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, however before we go anywhere. Mr. Torris, please hand the gun to the sergeant major."

"Damn! How did you know?" asked Rick as he pulled the weapon out and handed it to the Sergeant.

"Thank you, Mr. Torris. I knew because my sensors detected the chemical residue from the bullet's gunpowder and the gun oil you used to clean the weapon. Now, if you will please follow me, I will escort you to the Admiral."

Amy led the three people from the massive hanger and into a passageway. Amy stepped into a passenger tube and they followed her.

Beth follows the hologram out of the hanger and as they step into what she assumes was an elevator, "May I ask a question?"

Amy smiles at the young Eurasian woman, "Yes, you may."

"How big is your ship?" Beth asks as she exhaled in relief.

"The ship is three miles long. She has a crew of five thousand people on board when at full strength."

"Wow I knew she was big, but I didn't think that big."

Before she can ask her next question, the doors opened and they stepped out into another passageway. Amy led them down the hall to a white door with a starburst on it, and walked in. As they walked into the room, Beth saw another hologram of Amy blink out of existence. Behind the desk, a young man sat there.

Ken looked over at the door as it opened and Amy escorted the CNN team in to the room.

"Admiral, may I introduce Elizabeth Chang, her camera operator Jim Stone, and her computer operator Rick Torris," Amy said as she came to a stop next to the desk.

Listing to the introductions, he got up.

"Welcome to my command, I am Admiral Kenneth Thompson of the Terran Federation battleship USS Washington." As he was talking Ted, Tammy and Jenny came in to the room. "And this is my first officer Captain Tammy White, her brother Commander Ted White and my sister Lieutenant Commander Jenny Thompson. We all would like to welcome you aboard."

"You're an Admiral? You do not look any older then twenty. Or are you older than you look because of your advanced medical technology?" Beth said as she looked at the four of them.

Ken smiled at the question, and replied to it, "No. I am nineteen, my sister is seventeen, and Ted and Tammy are nineteen year old twins."

"Admiral how, then?" Beth asked as she stared at Ken in shock.

Ken chuckled and replied "Elizabeth that's a story for another day, which I will gladly tell you. But for now, we need your help, and you can call me Ken."

Beth listened intensely as Ken, and asked, "How can I help you, Ken?"

Ken gestured to a chair, and continued, "Have a seat Elizabeth and I will explain." Ken watched as she sat and he went around his desk sitting at his chair, and continued, "Elizabeth I want you to interview me, I need to tell the people that we are human, and that we are here to help. But we cannot do that with the United States military endangering our medivac shuttles. I am trying to save as many people as I can. You see, this is my home town, and it hurts me to see it like this."

Beth crossed her legs, and said, "I can understand that you trying to help people, but do you know who is responsible?"

Ken leaned back and thought for a second on how he wanted to answer the question, and then said, "Yes, I do. It happened because we uncovered an interstellar slavery ring that has been kidnapping people from this planet for forty years with the blessing of most of the nations in the United Nations."

Beth opened her mouth in shock, and then gathered her thoughts and then spoke, "If this is a true story, it sounds like an interesting tale to hear. But if it's true, do you have proof?"

Ken smiled at the woman, and said, "Why, yes, I do. I will show it to you, later."

Before he could continue, he was interrupted by the com.

Out over the burning city a shuttle dropped out of the bay of the ship and headed for burning casinos to pick up more survivors that the mechs were pulling out of the wreckage. Lieutenant Tammy O'Shea adjusted her throttle and was surprised when two F-18s blast through her flight path.

"Damn it." Pressing her com, she said, "Base this is Harper One we need to do something about these planes before they kill someone. Two F-18s almost hit ... son of bitch look o..."

Lieutenant Samantha Baker listened to the conversation of Harper One, and adjusted her fighter to get closer. She watched as the two fighters came back towards the shuttle. The first F-18 cut up in front of the medivac shuttle.

Pressing her com unit she said, "Harper one bank right, look out he's going to hit you"