Bambi offered, “We might be able to place a substantial amount of asteroid debris on the outside of the shuttle, making it look like a random asteroid. But the beacon would note it’s precise shape and when it reappeared, going in the opposite direction. It would be an obvious deception that would probably trigger an alert.”

  Max said, “It doesn’t make sense for the Saurans to not allow the senior officer in this area to make adjustments to the beacon’s programs.”

  Mike agreed. “Yes, I think you must be right about that. Bambi, search very carefully for a file that might be related to command options. It probably won’t say anything about beacons. There has to be a variety of command options that the Senior Pilot would have available to him, in emergencies.”

  “Searching for it, Boss.”

  Mike risked a glance at Mary and saw she was still grinning at him from ear to ear.

  Bambi announced, “Good thinking, Boss. I think we have something here. There is a file titled ‘Vital alterations in critical situations which may be allowed by the Senior Pilot only.’ Let me remind you, General Hurst, you are the Senior Pilot now. So I have access to this program. Are you declaring a critical situation?”

  “Yes I am.”

  In Mike’s mind, a file opened and revealed several sub-files under this heading. He quickly read through them and found one titled ‘Beacon mission adjustment.’ Within that file he found the one he needed, ‘Reprogramming beacon specifics for the enhancement of mission.’ In that file he discovered the extremely long passwords that would give him the ability to set the beacons up to ignore all shuttle movement.

  Bambi commed, General, just to be on the safe side, I have only allowed you to see this. That requirement is in my programming. You can invite the others in, if you make it a command to me.

  Bambi, do we always have to do things like this? I mean are you always going to be subject to some element of Sauran programming?

  Sir, I am reluctant to do too much changing, because the next computer I talk with might pick up on my self-assertiveness.

  I see. Well, then let me give you a command. In the case that I am unable to take direct control of a situation, I order you to grant full operational control to Max first, then Wayne and then…Dr. Fulwiler. Of course, once I’m able to reenter the command structure, I will take full control and the others would again be my subordinates. Does that make sense to you? Is it clear?

  Yes, General. I understand and will obey.

  She had been very formal through the entire conversation. He liked the way she became serious, in the military sense, when they discussed something of importance. She had an uncanny way of being flippant, when she could get away with it. He had seen this in clerks, working for Generals. Their closeness gave them a certain degree of leeway, with their superior officer, but not much. She had the knack for knowing when she could pull it off and when to be the consummate professional.

  He announced, “OK folks, we’re in to the file. I’ll have Bambi make the appropriate adjustments to the beacons and we will be able to move around without concern about creating an alert.”

  He sighed with relief and asked, “Bambi, how quickly can we make those trips now, if we transfer our entire operation to the asteroid belt?”

  “A little less than two days each way, General. Once we begin using the new shuttles that we’ll manufacture, I’ll program the beacons to ignore them as well.”

  “Thanks Bambi.”

  Max raised his hand. Mike told him, “Are we raising our hands now, Max?”

  “I just wanted to speak, without stepping on anyone’s toes. I know we can have Bambi fly the shuttle for us, but what about when we have three, or thirty, or three hundred? What I’m getting at is, at what point does Bambi’s handling of everything, begin to affect her ability to perform all of the necessary functions? Also. Along this line of thought, does this ever become a concern for the Saurans?”

  There was silence. So Mike asked, “Bambi, what about it?”

  “I have handled the operation of three thousand robots at one time, while maintaining the proper functions of the Mother Ship. I have never been tasked to a point where I had to shift duties, in order to perform more critical tasks.

  “I have overheard Saurans talking about warship computers and how they function and it made sense to me.”

  She quit talking. Mike was a little frustrated by this and asked her, “Well, would you please tell us how they handled it?”

  “The Saurans must use a lot of drones and shuttles in a combat environment. The ship’s computer programs them for the mission, which is set by the Senior Pilot, or his overall commander. How the individual drone acts when threatened is all part of that programming. The ship’s computer controls timing and placement of the drones and shuttles, as they go into action against the enemy. The drones and shuttles perform as programmed, without the direct input of the ship’s computer. So, the ship’s computer doesn’t directly control every little action, which saves on memory and does not effect the computer’s speed of reaction to events.”

  Wayne loudly complained, “I don’t like that. There are too many things that can go wrong. A shuttle full of soldiers would be entering the combat environment using a program that was based on pre-supposed situations. If those circumstances were not as expected, a live pilot could make a hell of a lot of changes, depending on the situation. And that could save a lot of lives, on those shuttles.”

  Bambi responded, “You are correct Colonel. But the Saurans don’t care about the drones or any lives on board. They deal in heavy numerical superiority. So if several shuttles or drones are lost, it doesn’t truly affect the outcome of the battle. They have plenty more of them.”

  She went on to explain, “An upgraded human would not have the speed of thought that I would, but only by a few hundred nanoseconds. On the other hand, with your vast knowledge and experience to guide you, the individual shuttle would probably be better handled, in a combat environment. However, I must emphasize that I’m speculating here, because I have no direct experience myself.”

  Wayne asked, “Would the addition of missile pods on the outside of the shuttle be seen as a threat.”

  “I doubt it, Colonel. Changes to shuttles are commonplace. They are frequently altered for specific missions. So a shuttle with a strange addition to the outside would not be considered a threat, until they were used to fire on the enemy. Then that shuttle would become a target, designated for destruction. I should point out that missiles are easily batted aside by high powered plasma defense weapons and every warship is covered with them.”

  Wayne kept pushing for a solution to placing offensive weapons on the shuttles. “Bambi, what if we placed plasma guns on the shuttles?”

  “I’m afraid those pods would be recognizable and draw the interest of any Sauran Senior Pilot. If he felt threatened, he would not hesitate to attack it. Remember, with them it is always caution above risk.”

  Mike asked, “How would he know it was a plasma gun? What if we disguised it?”

  “General, the Saurans have seen many variations of weapons, I’m sure, including camouflaged ones. I suspect they would see it for what it was.”

  “What if we put it inside of a square box that dangled off of the side, like some broken part?”

  “Sir, I have no idea if that would work. If it didn’t, it would most likely be the end for everyone on that shuttle.”

  Max had an idea. “Bambi, what if we made a small fabricator shell and stuck it on the side of the shuttle. If we were coming to help them fix their ship, it would seem like a logical thing to pack along on the outside, while using the inside for other parts and men to work on repairs. Certainly you could design a plasma gun, inside of an empty fabricator shell.”

  Bambi sounded particularly gleeful, as she told him, “I believe that would have a very good chance of getting your shuttle within firing range. But why destroy the damaged ship, General Kolbe, when you’re trying to capture it?”

  “I wasn’t thinking of that ship. I’m confident that we can take it. I’m looking into the future and how we’re going to deal with the two warships escorting the large transport. If we can take them, or at least destroy them, then we can move on to the transport. But we’ll need to be able to hit them with powerful plasma guns, probably more powerful than anything we currently have. Can you build us something like that?”

  “I think I can, sir. But I’ll need designs for it. I’m not programmed to be creative like humans are. I’ll check with Dr. Fulwiler and see if her people can work with me to create a design for us.”

  Mike let out, “Excellent!”

  Mary changed the topic. “General, I think it would be important for the seal teams that Secretary Hardesty mentioned, to be made aware that they could do serious harm to their loved ones, once they’re upgraded. It would be horrible if one of them made love to his wife and got carried away and did permanent damage to her.”

  Mike shook his head and admitted, “Just when it seems like we’re beginning to get a handle on things, something else pops up. You’re absolutely right, Mary. Those men must be told about that, before they agree to the procedure. How about this? What if we offer to upgrade their wives as well? The Americans could offer them jobs on base, so they would be near their husbands.”

  Mary grinned and said, “A few wives might not want to be altered. And, of course, it’s up to the Americans as to how they want to deal with that.”

  Suddenly, she looked very shy, as she admitted, “I can attest to the extraordinary pleasure of enjoying intimacy with the man you love, when both of you have been upgraded. I feel quite certain that a man could still have a pleasing experience with his unaltered wife, if he’s very careful. But the enjoyment of sharing with your loved one is far greater than I can describe when both have been upgraded.”

  Mary was blushing, as she made her comment. She added, “I know it’s a delicate subject, but it needs to be addressed. We can’t ignore the reality of every aspect of what it is that makes us human.”

  The thought had never crossed Mike’s mind. Well, to be honest, maybe just a little. But he hadn’t wasted a great deal of thought about it. He looked at Wayne, who sat there with a huge shit-eating grin on his face.

  “Well, Wayne, what say you?”

  He chuckled and told everyone, “Honestly, I think it could be very dangerous if the wife has not been upgraded.” He looked embarrassed, when he continued, “As one is about to achieve his ultimate bliss, it’s very difficult to exercise caution right at that moment. One little slip and he could break her bones, or even kill her. Thank God Mary is almost as strong as I am. It’s the only way she survived.”

  Everyone gawked at him, as he added, “And, if you must know, the sex was fantastic; better than anything I’ve ever experienced.” Mary smiled and nodded in agreement.

  Max grinned widely and said, “Perhaps we need to get that into the sales effort. It could make the difference for a lot of those young guys out there.”

  Mike warned, “Yes it could. But, would they be the right guys? We don’t need a bunch of clowns who just signed up for better sex. No, we’ll tell them before they are upgraded, but we won’t make it a part of the recruiting effort.”

  Bambi commed Mike privately, I could tweak their minds so they didn’t want sex anymore, or maybe just for the ones who didn’t have an upgraded woman.

  NO! The more we alter their thoughts, the more we are abusing their trust. It would be the first step toward making them mind slaves.

  Sorry, Boss. You’re right.

  He announced, “Max, Mary and I are going to have a chat with our scientists. Let’s see if we can’t get them thinking in terms of what we face with regard to this damaged ship.”

  Looking to his son he said, “Wayne, I want you to separate the old fighter pilots from the other vets for now and see if they have any ideas about how to handle the situation. Don’t mention upgrading. I’m hoping that by explaining to everyone what is happening and how fast it’s occurring they’ll be more motivated to join us. If not, at least they can contribute ideas.”

  Chapter 8

  On his way to see the scientists, Mike allowed his mind to wonder where he knew it shouldn’t go. He thought of Bet’s firm little butt, the swell of her mid-sized breasts, and her lovely smile. Damn, he chastised himself, I haven’t thought of intimacy with another woman since Sherry passed away. I wonder if this has anything to do with being upgraded.

  Bambi, is it possible that the upgrade process enhances a man’s sexual desire?

  Sir, it’s unlikely. Probably it’s the new youthful body. You, for instance, have been without sex for many years and your old body wasn’t attuned to it anymore. Now, you not only have your youth back, but it is even better than it was when you were young. So, as you experience the joy of youth, you have the pull of sexual desire once more and it seems new and exciting.

  Bambi, how do you know so much about human sexuality?

  The need to procreate is powerful in all races. So, I’ve been doing a lot of reading about human sexuality. Also, I was in your head; remember? I am aware of your memories with your wife. While I can’t have sex, I can relate to the emotional enjoyment humans have when sharing physical pleasure with another person.

  And General, you are not the first person to ask that question.

  Without thinking before he pressed for more information, he asked, Who was it.

  Sir, I respectfully refuse to answer, unless you make it an official order. Otherwise, I feel I would be violating the confidence of another crewmember.

  Mike felt somewhat ashamed for asking. OK! You’re right of course. Thank you for being a person of discretion.

  And thank you, sir, for calling me a person.

  You are a person, Bambi. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

  Mike gave it some quick thought. Neither Wayne nor Mary had any reason to ask about it. They had already joined the ninety three million mile high club. He laughed at his own joke.

  Max asked, “What is it?”

  “Oh nothing really. Just a silly thought that doesn’t apply to anything important.”

  Then he did the math. There were only two other people who had been upgraded, beside himself. It could be Al or Max. Of course, there were several people who had been through the first stage of the repair process, which had left them with improved, somewhat younger bodies. Any of them could have asked, like perhaps Bet Fulwiler.

  He finally admitted that he hoped it was Bet. Damn it. He knew better than to be thinking this way about a subordinate. However, he noted with whimsy, technically she wasn’t in his chain of command. And even if it was her, who had made the inquiry, her interest might well be directed toward one of the other scientists. After all, she had known them far longer than the few hours she had known Mike.

  He shook his head and told himself, this is ridiculous. I’m wasting my time. It would be fun, maybe even great, but we come from different worlds. She’s an intellectual giant and I’m just a grunt. It could never work out. I can’t let thoughts of sex drive my thinking, because the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

  When he arrived at the room holding the scientists, there seemed to be a lot of excitement. Bambi had given them the most basic principle of the ship’s intersolar drive. She had assured Mike that they should be able to figure it out, once they had a guide.

  These experts, had pushed her to explain the interstellar drive, but Bambi had no idea how it worked. It was not something the Saurans had placed in her database. The local area drive engine, which was the intersolar drive, was something that required her to closely monitor and see to its maintenance, when necessary.

  Al was smiling from ear to ear, as Mike walked in. The former Corporal told him, “These people are all worked up over something that’s way over my head.”

  Bet ran up to him and announced, “Bambi has been amazing, Mike. She’s been so patient with us and now we think we’re beginning to understand the basics of how the local drive works. It involves gravity manipulation and it requires an advanced computer, like Bambi, to evaluate the available sources for manipulation, such as the moon or Mars. Did you know she has a map of the various tidal pools of gravity for the entire solar system?” In her excitement, she didn’t wait for him to reply.

  “Bambi opened up the design and maintenance documents for a shuttle. It’s more than we can grasp right now. It’s a very complex and extensive file and we’re going to need to study it closely. However, based on what she has tried to explain to us, we believe we might be able to duplicate some of it. At first, we’d be producing a much simpler drive engine and it probably wouldn’t be nearly as fast, although it could be a more maneuverable vehicle and a great deal smaller.”

  She was yanking on his arm, as she excitedly told him, “If I’m right, with the help of Bambi and the fabricators, we can produce several of them every month.”

  Mike told Bambi, I guess you’d better give me a file that uses small words to explain the basics of what you’re explaining to these guys. I don’t need to know all of the details; but I’ll need to be aware of the rudimentary system.

  Got it, Boss. Small words.

  Mike grinned and said, “That’s great, Bet. If Earth gets involved, is there a possibility that these new vehicles could be mass produced, without using the fabricators?”

  “But, why would we bother, when we have the fabricators?”

  “Because those things are going to be needed to manufacture thousands of items that the Earth isn’t ready to make, as yet. So, if we can have the industries on Earth make additional shuttles, we won’t tie up a fabricator that is working on something beyond Earth’s industrial capabilities. Then again, I suppose a fabricator might have to produce some of the parts you’re going to need.”

  She looked at him with wonder and quietly said, “I’ll be damned. You’re right, of course.” Then she poked him in the arm and quietly told him, “You’re not just some old military war horse, are you. I believe you’re a hell of lot smarter than you think.”