When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (66 page)

             
Jerry could
n’
t believe his ears
.“
Are you suggesting we actually sit down with Blightman? Go on a live broadcast and talk to a mass murderer
?
”

             
“It may end up being our only choice
,”
Arthur said
.“
W
e’
re behind in the polls by a significant margin. The best we can hope for now is a peaceful resolution to the election. If we resort to violence, w
e’
ll start a civil war. And this time it wo
n’
t be a few million miles from Earth. The colonies will rebel, without a doubt. But the strongest support will be right at home. And then, there wo
n’
t be a home to go back to
.
”

             
Alexander opened the minibar and poured himself three fingers of scotch, downing the glass and starting the second pour before swallowing
.“I’
ve got an intergalactic war to fight, a planet being invaded by an alien virus, and xenophobic demonstrations against our only allies. I just do
n’
t need this right now
.”
He sipped the amber liquor, savoring the smoky taste
.“
Send word to Gilroy. I want to know our options for a quiet intervention
.”
He turned and stared hard into Jerr
y’
s eyes
.“
But do
n’
t rule out a loud one
.
”

             
“Sir
,”
Arthur began
.“
We need to think about this politically
.
”

             
“Fuck politics
,”
Alexander said, slamming his glass down
.“
W
e’
ve gotten to this point playing bullshit games and trying to please the masses. I
t’
s time to think about the end game. We ca
n’
t all come out smelling like roses. Sometimes you have to get a little dirty
.”
He turned to Jerry
.“
Get me those options
.
”

             
Jerry nodded and pulled out his phone
.“
Ther
e’
s still the matter of the banquet
.
”

             
Adeline perked up, pulling out her tablet and accessing a large file
.“
Most of the Centurial Council will be available, but only a majority of the Colonial Delegation. Still, it will be a very large affair. We do still need a few guests from the military
.
”

             
“I do
n’
t want to talk about that right now
.
”

             
Arthur sighed
.“
We wo
n’
t have much of a chance if we ca
n’
t pull the Pillars together on some key issues. We need to gain support for the Alien Rights Act if we hope to curb this spread of violence. If the Nangolani do
n’
t think the
y’
re safe, the
y’
ll run. Then w
e’
ll get the Boxti all to ourselves, and so far that has
n’
t worked out so well. If our gray friends can be believed, no civilization has ever stood up to them and won
.
”

             
Alexander knew he was
n’
t going to win anything today. He closed his eyes and waved a hand to ward them off
.“
Make it happen. Just wake me when we get home
.
”

-                           
V                            -

February 17, 2237

              Josh took his usual spot in the class, posted on the far left side of the room. It was
n’
t a large space, but he felt more comfortable with a wall at his back. He massaged his temple, fighting a headache. Ther
e’
d been a lot since h
e’
d awoken. Dax dropped down in the chair to his right, rubbing his shoulder. Pierre had managed to land a pretty hard takedown during combatives, and the big oaf was still feeling the impact. The soldiers stood as Dr. Markov and a pretty young assistant walked into the room. Sasha entered last, closing the door.

             
“Good morning
,”
Markov said with a smile
.“
I trust Mr. Morris was
n’
t too rough
?”
The soldiers groaned in response
.“
Excellent, then we can begin. Today begins phase three of our great experiment. You have all recovered from the nanomachine fusion better than we had expected. As
I’
m sure many of you have noticed, the union has brought some advantages. Mr. Cho can attest to that
.”
He pointed at the young soldier, whose broken arm was already healed enough to lose the sling
.“
The bone enhancements are due to continue. W
e’
ve monitored the MCU
s’
commands inside each of you, and it looks like they have decided to continue reinforcing all of your vital areas. Something you probably have
n’
t noticed is the webbing the little bugs built around your organs. Or the increase in adrenal gland production
.
”

             
Dax raised his hand and waited for the docto
r’
s acknowledgement
.“
My gingivitis is gone
.”
He grinned as the room laughed
.“
Hell,
I’
ll take the extra help. My dentists have always complained I do
n’
t floss enough
.
”

             
Markov nodded
.“
The machines are going to continue their housekeeping duties without your input. Today, we are going to start using them for their designed purpose. To that end, I have brought one of our lead engineers, Dr. Claudia Cheney
.
”

             
Claudia stepped up to the podium. She wore small reading glasses, despite only being in her late twenties. Her red hair shimmered in the bright light of the classroom. She coughed into her hand before beginning.

             
“Thank you, Dr. Markov. My name is Claudia Cheney, but you can all call me CC. Everyone does.
I’
m the lead designer of the Phantom Mark III
.”
She pointed a wand at the wall behind her and the screen changed to an image of a backpack worn by a computer generated soldier
.“
The Marks I and II were based on the Drop Kite glider packs used by airborne forces during the late twenty-second century. They were designed for short term use over difficult terrain, or for insertion from Tricoptors
.”
The shot changed to video from a special forces unit during the First Eden War. Guerrilla forces had captured an embassy and were threatening the hostages inside. An enormous Tricoptor, a super-sized transport supported by three evenly displaced fans, hovered just outside of small arms range while soldiers leapt down to attack. Their gliders allowed them to safely and accurately land on the rooftop and begin a quiet takedown of the insurgents.

             
“As you can see
,”
Claudia said after the video ended
,“
the old tech did offer some control for direction and speed. Still, it was cumbersome and did
n’
t allow for orbital deployment
.
”

             
“
I’
m sorry
,”
Cho said
.“
Orbital
?
”

             
Markov stepped forward
.“
Most special forces units deploy using HALO jumps, or high altitude low orbit. I
t’
s a traditional way to insert soldiers without being detected. Or it was, until the latter part of the twenty-first century. Radar can pick up the gliders and provide reasonably accurate firing solutions for anti-air. The Drop Kites allowed faster evasion, but did
n’
t allow for actual orbital deployment from outside the atmosphere. Essentially, it lost the element of surprise
.
”

             
“The heat shields broke down
,”
Claudia said
.“
Did
n’
t last more than a few minutes. Dozens of volunteers died during the testing. The Phantom Project was started to fix that problem
.
”

             
Dax squirmed in his seat
.“
It took a hundred years to come up with something better than the DKs
?
”

             
“Not exactly
.”
Claudia typed onto the podiu
m’
s computer and the image changed to images of military parachutes
.“
The Imperial Army used the Phanto
m’
s predecessor, the FoxTail. It was little more than a parachute with guidance wings. That turned into the wingsuit, which gave way to the Sky Rat. Each generation took a decade to complete or more. By the time Phantom Mark I was designed, enough research had been done to return to a more traditional glider look. And the ability to store the package in a pack rather than a separate jump bag saved each soldier from having to carry another forty pounds
.
”

             
Markov motioned to Sasha who opened the door. A scientist walked in wearing a small kit on his back. Pads covered his elbows and knees, and he carried a helmet under his arm. The man took up a position in front of the podium facing the soldiers.

             
Claudia continued
.“
Our Mark III is vastly different from the Mark II, while maintaining its simplicity. The wings are polymylar over carbon ring, making them light and durable. The pack is reinforced carbon-carbon with diamond whiskers, enabling it to handle the rigors and temperatures of an orbital drop. Folded ceramic bars deploy out to a total wingspan of fourteen feet, which allows for extreme maneuverability. But what makes it even better are some of the more elaborate enhancements
.
”

             
She motioned for the test pilot to begin. He stepped forward, pressing a button on a device strapped to his wrist. Instantly, two wings snapped out from the pack. They spread seven feet in either direction, but did
n’
t seem to weigh the scientist down at all. He donned his helmet, gave a thumbs-up, and pressed a second button. Suddenly he was airborne, hovering several feet above the ground. Two small jets on the bottom of the pack fired low-powered bursts of air.

             
“Based on micro-scram designs from Fleet, the Phantom Mark III allows the user to actually control their flight in or out of atmosphere
.”
Claudia had to speak up to be heard over the roar of the jets
.“
The engine is a microcell low heat vibram, which means you wo
n’
t burn your legs off if you go full-speed. The wings have flaps built in that link to your neural interface to allow easy movement in all directions. And the specially designed boots provide aileron control
.”
The test pilot moved to the left and right, small flaps popping out from the wings and boots with just a thought
.“
We wo
n’
t demonstrate flaring here, but trust that the Mark III can stop a free fall in only thirty feet
.
”

             
The engines cut off and the pilot landed softly on the stage. After a moment of silence the room exploded in applause. Dax hollered and shouted. Josh could
n’
t help but marvel at the incredible technology. He had seen and experienced a lot in the past few months, but it seemed every day he found something new to blow his mind.

             
Markov took back the podium
.“
The Mark III is only a small part of the arsenal you are privileged to call your own. I must admit, we cheated on this test a little. Simon, our pilot, is actually using a SQUID interface to control the suit. You should all find it even easier to manipulate once we have you fitted. As I said before, today is the beginning of the next phase of your training. W
e’
ll start with the theoretical, let you learn the physics behind the Phantom and everything yo
u’
ll need to stay alive while using one. This afternoon, however, yo
u’
re going to begin earning your wings
.
”