Ancient Birthright (48 page)

“We’ve come about thirty five miles. It’ll take us another fifteen to twenty minutes to get to the point where we’re supposed to meet Beldon,” Duane told him.

Bitman ordered two of the trailing Humvees to slow down and act as interference if Hooker’s men caught up to them.

“Colonel, we have company, two o’clock, and closing. From the speed and course I’d guess it’s a helicopter,” reported the pilot of one of the Apache gunships.

“Why don’t you go have a talk with him and suggest he take a different course to where ever he’s going,” Bitman told the gunship on the right.

“Roger.”

The gunship increased speed and peeled off on a new heading that would intercept the unknown craft.

“Colonel Bitman, the approaching helicopter is a DHS Blackhawk loaded for bear. They have mini guns, missile racks, and at least ten agents with long guns inside. I’ll attempt to slow them down. They’ll be able to see you in about five minutes.”

Bitman yelled, “Duane, push it. We have company about to jump us.”

“Shit, they just launched a missile at me,” reported the Apache Pilot.

“Protect yourself, but try not to kill anyone,” Bitman ordered the gunship.

“I’ll try, but they’re making it hard. Every time I get close, they open up with one of the mini guns.”

“Call in a Mayday and report that you are under attack to air traffic control, give them the copters designation and registration and report all expended ordnance. Call the command post at Williams and get authorization to return fire,” Bitman told his pilot.

Duane said, “We’re almost there, another mile or so. Do you see any sign of Beldon or some kind of spaceship?”

Bitman stood up in the turret and looked around. He was about to report that he didn’t see anything when a shadow swept across him. He looked up and saw a tight formation of three delta shaped craft about a hundred feet above him. They were traveling at the same speed as the convoy, but other than a slight whistling noise from wind passing over them, they weren’t making a sound.

Bitman ducked down into the cabin. “Duane, find a level spot and pull over.”

The three silvery-black ships settled to the scrub beside the convoy. A hatch opened in the lead ship, and Beldon ran down the steps. Duane and Linda were out of the Humvee in a blink and running to meet him.

“Mom. Dad. We don’t have time to talk right now, grab your stuff and get on one of the ships. We have helicopter trouble coming from the north and SUVs heading our way on the highway. Everyone get on one of the ships. We’ll bring you back after we lose the pursuit if you didn’t plan on coming with us.”

Dantee, Reedn, and Tuuan were standing in the hatches of their ships directing traffic while Beldon, Striker, and Saigg helped move luggage and boxes. It took less than five minutes to get everything and everyone on board.

“Okay, Dantee get us out of here.”

“
Janna
we need couches for eight additional humans, please.”

“Right away, Beldon,” answered the ship.

“If you will stack the cargo along the back wall, I will restrain it so no one gets hurt if we have to maneuver,”
Janna
said in perfect English.

Duane and Beldon shifted most of the luggage and other items since everyone else was sitting in their couches just staring at the view of Earth growing smaller in the view screens.

“Beldon, can you tell what happened to my gunship crews and the other two Humvees?” Colonel Bitman asked.

“
Janna
, show us the area where we just lifted off?”

“It’s on the screen to your left, Beldon.”

The enlargement showed a smoking line of destroyed Humvees and a flight of two gunships leaving the area with smoke coming from the engine of one of them. The Blackhawk continued to pour bullets into the line of burning Humvees.

“Pan East on the highway. Let’s see if we can locate the SUVs.” Beldon told
Janna
.

The scene shifted and showed one Humvee disabled beside the highway and the other heading back toward NRAO.

“Can I talk to them?” Colonel Bitman asked.

“Go ahead Colonel, I’ve tuned into the frequency you were using on the ground.”

“This is Colonel Bitman. Give me a sitrep.”

“Colonel, this is Mad Dog One. Mad Dog Two took a round in the engine compartment and is smoking pretty badly. We will try to make it back to base, but may have to land and abandon the damaged bird.”

“Do the best you can, but don’t try to be a hero to save your helicopter.”

“This is Sergeant Walker in the trail Humvee. The DHS agents opened fire on us without warning and disabled one of our vehicles. We have two with minor wounds and one with a serious head wound.”

“Roger, I’ll contact NRAO and get help moving toward you. All personnel in the other vehicles escaped injury, but a Blackhawk with DHS markings destroyed the entire convoy without warning or provocation. It’s a burning mess about fifty miles from NRAO. Break. Break. Command Post this is Colonel Bitman. Did you copy the last transmission?”

“Roger, Colonel, this is Major Ferrell, I’ve dispatched ambulances and additional security forces. I’ve notified the JMC CONUS of the attack, and they are dispatching fighters to try to find the Blackhawk and the SUVs that attacked our men. The FBI is here and has arrested Agent Hooker for assaulting Sergeant Jacoby. They have also called for agents to start a land search for the SUVs involved in the attack.”

“Thank you, Major, hold down the fort until I get there. It may take me several hours, but I’ll see you soon.”

“Unless you need to be back at NRAO right away, I’d like to continue to the Moon base and offload the people who are at risk,” Beldon said.

“How long will that take?” asked Bitman.

“Round trip maybe three hours, but as long as North America is pointed toward the moon we can communicate directly with your command post.”

“That should work. I’ll need to talk to my people who ended up coming with us and see if they want to go back with me or stay on the Moon and help,” Bitman said.

“Beldon, I hate to interrupt your conversation, but I really need to get to a bathroom, it’s getting to be an emergency,” Terrie told him.

“
Janna
, we need a refresh unit...fast,” Beldon said.

The walls and equipment for a full refresh unit took less than a minute to grow from the floor.

“Dantee, would you show Terrie how everything works?” Beldon asked.

“Come on Terrie, I know how it is when you’re pregnant. Cindy and Becca said their babies kicked the hell out of their bladders,” Dantee said.

“Who’s Becca?” Terrie asked.

“Rebecca Jollye, Striker’s mate.” Dantee said. “They have a little boy named John. He was born a little while after Beldon and Cindy’s Soleene. Becca was the copilot on the
Endeavour
and is a flight surgeon. She helped to deliver Soleene, but my grandma Marra and Nadya delivered John Jamz.”

“How did you know I was pregnant? I only found out yesterday.”

“
Janna
did a scan of everyone as they boarded to check for injuries. She reported your pregnancy as an anomaly. She doesn’t have a lot of data on your species in her data banks, but with each contact, she’s learning more. She also reported that Colonel Bitman needs to see a doctor. He has the beginnings of cancer in an area just below his bladder. Let me show you how everything works with the refresh unit.” Dantee took Terrie’s hand and lead her into the small room.

Beldon checked with the other ships and received reports on their status and the condition of the passengers. The ship with Saigg and Reedn was the only one that was having problems. It had ended up being the ship that all the armed security detail and their drivers entered.

“Colonel Bitman, could you talk to your men on the third ship. They are a little anxious and afraid they are being kidnapped by aliens.”

Janna
opened a video link and displayed the view from the inside of
Jerrod
, Saigg and Reedn’s ship. Beldon could see that
Jerrod
had done the same because his passengers were watching a screen showing the insides of
Janna
.

“This is Colonel Bitman. I’m on the lead ship and will be with you in a little less than an hour. Once we arrive at the Moon base and offload the passengers and cargo, I’ll meet with you to find out who wants to go back to Earth with me immediately, and who wants to stay on the Moon and help with the work there.”

The Moon grew larger by the minute. Beldon explained that the base was built into the side of a crater.

Janna
interrupted Beldon’s description. “Beldon, I have a transmission coming in from the
Universe Explorer
.”

“Put it on the main VH screen.” The entire front of the passenger compartment filled with a display of Cindy holding a sleeping Soleene and Becca holding a very wide-awake John.

“Beldon, I wanted to call and see how your mission is going. We know you’ve been busy with getting communications established with Earth, but I miss you. Prime Garuu told me the
Universe Explorer
would be establishing orbit around the Moon at the end of this week, but you’ve already been gone for over three weeks, and I wanted to talk to you.”

“I’m sorry. I should have called you before this and let you know how things were going. We are on our way back to the Moon base after picking up a few people from Earth.
Janna
, expand video pickup to include the entire cabin.” The small video display of Beldon expanded. “Now link in the video from the other two ships.” Two additional small windows opened showing the interior views from
Jerrod
and
Chandra
.

“Duane, Linda...you’re with Beldon and safe. Oh Mom, Dad and the girls, you’re there, too.” Cindy dissolved in tears of joy.

“I’ll explain everything once we land and get the ships unloaded,” Beldon told his wife.

Nadya walked into the picture dressed in normal
UE
attire, a pair of very brief shorts and lightweight sandals. She stopped to take the sleeping Soleene from Cindy so she could compose herself.

“Who’s that?” asked a voice from
Jerrod
.

“Hi, I’m Nadya Vasina. I’m one of the Russian cosmonauts who crewed the Russian mission,
Nauka 7
.”

“Are there more like you on the
Universe Explorer
?” asked the same voice.

“No, my twin sister is at the Moon installation along with Anika Drankova. I’m sure you will meet them.”

“Well damn, I think my entire security detail just volunteered to stay on the Moon,” Bitman said.

Becca took over the conversation and spoke to Striker for several minutes then ended the contact.

The displays reverted to showing the approaching Moon. Ten minutes later, they were transitioning through the airlock into the hangar.

As the hatches opened, the remaining members of the Moon expedition waited to greet them and assist with the unloading.

Beldon turned to Colonel Bitman. “Have your men leave their weapons on the ship they’re on. I don’t know what an accidental shot would do to the installation and I really don’t want to find out.”

“Good idea.” Bitman turned to the display of the interior of
Jerrod
. “Sergeant, have your men leave their weapons on the ship. Even if they don’t return to Earth with me, I’ll take the weapons back.”

The video showed the men unloading and stowing their weapons in a quick and orderly fashion in their efforts to be among the first off the ship to meet Katya and Anika.

“We brought the girls along to help the engineers and to act as ambassadors with the Russians if we made contact with them. I didn’t think they’d turn out to be this big of an attraction to your men,” Beldon said.

“Have you looked at those two? They are two of the most beautiful young women I’ve ever seen,” Bitman said.

“Colonel, I lived with them on
Endeavour
for months and even longer on the
Universe Explorer
. They are like my little sisters, and yes, I realize they are beautiful, but they have even better minds. It’s too bad you have to leave so soon You would really enjoy their company once you had a chance to get to know them.”

“I don’t think my security detail is going to view them as sisters,” Bitman said.

Beldon and Bitman exited the ship, and watched cargo and passengers unload.

Beldon said, “We’ll have to rig sleeping quarters in the PTOs for the new arrivals. Some can be ferried to the
Universe Explorer
where the living quarters are more comfortable, but it will have to wait until we make contact with one of the television networks, so they can get started on producing the video programs we need. The section of the Moon installation that was used as living quarters is still unpressurized, and the organic machines, that made the area more than just a series of rock caves, are all dead. We’ll have to grow replacements on the
Universe Explorer
and then transport them here for installation.”

“What video programs are you talking about?” Bitman asked.

“We need to introduce the
Universe Explorer
and its crew to the people of Earth without causing a panic. The easiest way that we could think of was to make a series of programs like those that they did for the series, ‘The Blue Planet,’ to show the friendly nature of the species on board the
Universe Explorer
and let the people of Earth know they will be arriving in close Earth orbit in the near future. Dantee, Reedn, and Tuuan have been working for months capturing digital video segments of everyday life on the
UE
.”

The three little luzzons drove electric cars pulling flatbed trailers over to the three ships to transport the luggage and cargo to the load-pod and PTOs.

“You’ll notice the luzzons have retrieved their spacesuits from the PTO and have the suits stored on their seats next to them. We instituted that as a safety procedure for the base and require the suits be carried at all times when operating any of the vehicles.

Colonel Bitman called his ten men together. “Who wants to stay on the Moon and help get this place operational?”