Starting from Scratch (20 page)

OK, Bambi. As usual, you’re right. I guess I’ve been
freaking out and looking for solutions to problems without making
the effort to resolve them by myself. I’m sorry for jamming you up
with so many questions.

Mike, that’s not a problem for me. I can handle all
of them. But you won’t be gaining any proficiency with the MCP if
you keep falling back on me to give you what you can find for
yourself.

There was an awkward pause, and then she told him,
Mike, I’m always looking over your shoulder, just in case you
need me. If I think you’re about to screw up, I’ll tell you.
Otherwise, use your head.

Got it Bambi.

A machine had just shamed him, albeit a very
intelligent sentient one. It occurred to him that she had
progressed beyond her teen years. She showed remarkable
observational skills and jumped in at just the right moment to help
him remain calm and in charge. Once again, he felt that he should
not be the man to run this organization. They needed a true leader,
but who would that be?

Max commed,
Mike, I was reviewing your
conversation with Todd Pierpoint and I agree; we need the combined
thinking of their military planning experts. We need it in a long
term strategic way and in the very specific way in which we’ll have
to deal with the immediate problem of that damaged ship.

Mike was still concerned about the wrong kind of
approach, by the Americans. Having been a long time Army enlisted
man, he remembered how much he disliked being told to work with
allies. Every one of them had a different way of looking at things
and he felt they were more of a hindrance than a help.

Max, I’m not convinced I’ve made a wise choice here.
These people could really screw this up.

Mike, think of it this way. If we don’t let them
join in the planning now, when it’s relatively easy, at what point
will it get better to allow for their input? We need the combined
experience of preparing and doing an op like this; and so do the
rest of our allies. We don’t have to agree and we don’t have to
like it. But we can’t defeat the Saurans alone and you know it. So,
it’s better to have these people in with us from the start.
Eventually we’ll build trust and a working method to get the job
done.

Mike was a little surprised by Max’s insight. He told
him,
Max, I didn’t think you would be so quick to want to bring
them in.

I wouldn’t be, except I’ve given it a lot of thought
and I realize we must face the facts. We’re short on time and we
need them. But they have to see that they need us, and not just for
the alien tech we offer. We can force the bureaucracy to function
for them, as well as us, instead of for their friends and cronies.
I believe once we get rolling, you’ll find that we have a lot of
people who appreciate the way we can go around the bureaucratic
blockades and get things done.

I hope you right, Max. Of course, I’m going to make
one hell of a lot of enemies.

Fuck ‘em all, Mike.

Ah, there’s the General I used to know.

Mary pinged him.
Sir, we’re just about loaded up.
When do we fly?

Bambi commed everyone.
We are already flying. The
Mother ship has been moving for the last four minutes. We should be
at our primary asteroid in six days and twelve minutes. We’ll put
the mining robots off there and leaving the Mother Ship. Then we
can head straight for Earth, at top speed.

Mike jumped in.
No, not that quickly. I want the
men and women going through the upgrade to have a chance to finish
the process and begin to use their minds through the comm units.
Then we’ll decide exactly whom we’ll bring with us. Some will stay
here, although we’ll be in contact with them. I want two of our
three Naval officers to remain here and get used to the Mother
Ship. Commander Vollmar is a seal, with rapid boarding and
capturing experience and I want him to coordinate with the men who
volunteer to join the operation. So he needs to be on the ground
with us on Earth. Mary, you and Wayne are staying, too.

She was not happy and neither was his son.

Mary commed,
Now listen, Mike, you need us down
there with you.

Not right away. I need two people up here who can
provide leadership to the men who have just finished being
upgraded. Start them on the training program for using their new
comm unit minds. We’ll have instant comm with each other anyway and
I need to know that somebody up here has my back. So, that’s it,
for both of you. You guys and Bambi have the responsibility of
seeing to it that the Mother Ship is safe and able to perform, when
the time comes.

Wayne, this will be your opportunity to familiarize
yourself with those Sauran fighters. We’re going to need them and
we need someone to evaluate and develop a training program for the
first generation of fighter pilots that we put into them.

Cdr. Doolin is coming with us, but I want you to
send him your flight experience and appraisal of the Sauran
fighters. Both of you will be our pilots for those things, when the
time comes.

Mary, while Wayne is training on the fighter, you’ll
be the senior officer on board. Use your best judgment on the
things that come up and don’t let the scientists get carried away
on flights of fancy. Keep them focused on solving the problem of
blocking that alert signal. You’ve got Bambi as a back up, but use
your MCP to guide you first. We all need the practice.

So, you two lovebirds have your orders. Now, get to
it.

In unison, they replied,
Yes sir.

Max sounded irritated, as he made a complaint;
universally comming everyone.
We absolutely must come up with a
name for the Mother Ship. Frankly, it sounds stupid to keep calling
it that. It’s un-American.

Mike agreed.
I suggest we call it the Intrepid. It
means fearless.

No,
Mary commed.
I’ve been thinking about
this and I suggest we call it Independence, because that’s what
we’re fighting for, the independence of everyone on the Earth and
throughout the galaxy.

Mike responded,
All right, let’s have a vote. Does
everyone agree with Mary?

With only seven people able to comm, including Jo, it
was unanimous.

OK folks, we are on the good space ship TSN
Independence.

Mary suggested,
I think we should refer to our
ship as TSN Independence 62. I looked it up and that was the number
of the last aircraft carrier to have the name.

Jo made a rare comment.
I believe Mary has a good
idea, but not for the reason of pandering to a former retired US
Naval vessel. By numbering it 62, the Saurans would logically
conclude that it is the sixty second ship of this type and infer
that there are many others to be concerned about. Mike had been
talking about upsetting their standard way of viewing things. This
could be one little thing to disrupt their mindset.

Mike told him,
Good thinking, Jo. I want everyone
to set up a file for ideas like this that we can exchange and
expand upon.

Now let’s not forget all of our people going through
the upgrade, they’re going to need our support and encouragement.
We’ll have forty men and one scientist on the large shuttle. The
rest of the volunteers and family members, who opted to join, us
are going be completing their transition on the Independence.

Bambi commed him privately.
Sir, Bet is in her med
unit and she’s getting quite nervous. I think you should pay her a
visit.

Thank you, Bambi. Tell her I’m on the way.

He excused himself and quickly walked to the large
shuttle, which held Bet’s med unit.

As he entered the shuttle, Bambi commed,
General,
Todd Pierpoint called Mike Hardesty and brought him up to
date.

Good, Hardesty needs to know we’re coming soon.

But Sir, Hardesty made a few calls on a line he
thinks is secure from me. I don’t know what he’s planning, but it
isn’t to help us. I think he means to capture or kill you and
probably Jo as well. He talked with someone in special operations
and told them it was a go for Operation Take Down at Nellis, once
you land in the basin.

Mike chuckled angrily. “Well, well. So he just can’t
help himself? He’s got to knock me off, and then he thinks his
people will have control of all alien technology. Why the hell
can’t that arrogant ass see that he’s jeopardizing the entire human
race?”

Boss, I can arrange for a heart attack. The man has
been under a lot of pressure.

No! Absolutely not. I don’t like the guy, but he is
very smart and maybe after he fails at this, he’ll come around.

Mike, what if he doesn’t fail?

We’re going to be sure that he does fail. Before we
land, I want you to put micro-drones all over Nellis Air Force
Base. I want to know about changes and additions of manpower and
mobile artillery. Be prepared to neutralize it, with as little harm
to people as possible. Bring Max in on this and make him aware of
everything you find. Then the three of us will chat about how we’re
going to handle it, before we land.

Bet was just beginning to feel the grind of low
intensity pain in her skin. As soon as Mike looked at her through
the window of her med unit, he saw the horror on her face. He
wanted to rip off the top and hug her and make the pain go away for
her. But, it was too late.

Bambi had explained that once the upgrade process
starts, it’s very dangerous to stop in the middle of the procedure,
because it could do permanent harm and make it impossible for that
person to ever be upgraded. The genes and nanites were making
changes that could never be reversed.

He lifted the top slowly, angling it off to one side
and took one of her hands in his.

“Rough time of it?”

She nodded. “Yeah, this really sucks. It’s easy to
accept that you’re going to suffer, before it begins, but once it
starts and never let’s up, it’s terrifying.”

He patted the back of her hand and assured her, “It
is a true horror for anyone, Bet. I really do wish there was some
other way, but there’s not.”

She looked at him and then around her unit, making
sure there was no one close by, before whispering, “I really
enjoyed last night, Mike. You were wonderful. I really needed that
and, in spite of my acting like a twenty dollar whore, you were a
true gentleman.”

He gave her an evil grin and whispered back at her,
“Bet, you ain’t no twenty dollar whore. I’d have given a months pay
to be with you. You are an amazing lover.”

She grimaced, as she replied, “That’s no compliment.
You don’t get paid.”

He patted her hand again and told her, “Everything
seems to happen so damn fast out here. I ah…Well, Bet, I really
like you…a lot. I hope that wasn’t just a one night stand.”

“I hope so too, Mike. I know what you mean about the
speed of things. They do seem to happen quickly, don’t they?”

He nodded.

She yelped and squeezed his hand, before saying, “I
know you must be very busy, but can you stay with me for a while.
It hurts so bad and I’m so scared.”

“Of course I will.”

Mary looked in on them and commed him,
Just stay
with her, Mike. If we need you, we’ll call. And
congratulations…she’s a keeper, if you play your cards
right.

I agree, sweetheart. Thanks.

As Bet went into the next stage of her upgrade, Mike
stayed by her side, only leaving her to briefly visit with other
people being upgraded. He looked in on Cdr. Vollmar, the Naval
officer and a few of the scientists. Then it was back to Bet. He
was sure she had it better than he had, but it was still bad for
her and he hated to see her in agony. It was also a reminder of
those horrible days, as Sherry slipped away from him, due to the
cancer, as he comforted his beloved wife. It was a very painful
memory.

It was Bet’s screaming that tore him apart. He felt
so helpless. He asked Bambi if there was any way she could lessen
Bet’s agony, but there was not. Tears streamed down his face, as he
recalled his own aguish and prayed that Bet’s wasn’t as bad as his
had been.

When he took a break to refresh and eat, Mary told
him of a few side events.

“Little Charu Nara, you remember her. Well she
quietly asked if Bambi could make her taller. Bambi assured me that
it would easy, but she would be a day or so longer in the med unit
and, while it could be a little painful, it wouldn’t be as bad as
the upgrade process. So, she said to go ahead and do it. I think
she has a thing for Dr. Frankenberger, who is nearly six ten.
They’re a cute and brilliant couple.”

She asked, “Another topic, on which we’ve only
touched the surface, how are we going to recruit women. You said
yourself that we wouldn’t bring prostitutes out here.”

Bambi, any ideas on this?

Yes sir. I’ve been doing a lot of research on the
history of human behavior, over the last five thousand years, and
I’ve come to the conclusion that women are an important ingredient
for any army. We may be able to offer the Americans and other
governments a solution, which would be helpful to them and us.

Mary asked, “What’s that, Bambi?”

“We will take prostitutes who have been arrested and
on drugs. It will free up prison space on Earth and, once I’ve
cleaned up their drug habits and upgraded them, I can download any
number of abilities into their minds that would make them very
useful for us. I’ll also provide them with psychological help,
during the upgrade process, to help them deal with their low
self-esteem.

“When they have completed the procedure and they
begin to realize that they have something of value to offer our
organization, they’ll feel better about themselves and they’ll fit
in. If a man wants to date her, then fine. But I’ll not allow any
form of prostitution to take place on any ship of the TSN. The
girls will know it and so will the men.