Vollmar didn’t look angry, but he did look disappointed. “Yes sir, I understand. I’ll give them everything I can think of, sir.”

  “Thank you, Commander Vollmar.”

  Mike commed Max, Damn, Max, this entire process seems to drag along. I’m really concerned that we’re never going to be ready. Every little detail takes so much longer to explain and the entire thing is taking us to damn long.

  Max commed back, Let me explain, something to you and these soon to be young men.

  Out loud, Max gave them a pep talk.

  “Gentlemen, right here and now, we are building the organization that will save the Earth, or watch her destroyed. Don’t think for one second that any of your efforts are for naught. Every idea that you consider and then cast aside is one idea we won’t have to worry about later. And, with the upgrade, every good or bad idea can be filed away and retrieved as needed in nanoseconds. So do everything you can now, because it will make a difference.

  “This organization is in its infancy, but it will grow very fast. It’s going to be like an avalanche. Once it gets rolling, it’s going to continue to build speed and if we haven’t established the infrastructure to deal with it and control which way it rolls, then the Earth is doomed.

  “I’m sorry to be so melodramatic, but it’s true. Now you gentlemen get to work. Ask Bambi anything and she’ll give you answers. You may not like them, but you’ll be building a knowledge base that you’re going to need as the avalanche picks up speed.”

  Max commed, Mike, it’s time to call back General Boltz and see if he’s ready to talk.

  Yes it is. Bambi, have Jo meet us on the bridge. Perhaps if General Boltz sees the bridge and can talk to an alien, he’ll be a little more receptive to a conversation.

  He stood, thanked the three Naval officers, and left with Max for the bridge.

  Once the three of them were sitting on the bridge, Bambi told them, “If General Boltz is as anal as Jim indicated, we might want to wait another few minutes to call him back. It hasn’t been exactly two hours yet.”

  Mike was shocked by her use of the word ‘Anal’, which was Earth slang for being ridiculously meticulous and ill humored. “Bambi, maybe you should be careful about the casual use of Earth colloquialisms. Some people will find it offensive and it could jeopardize our fragile relationship with them.”

  “Yes sir. I haven’t done that yet, have I? I am aware of the protocols of official exchanges of information, especially when dealing with a new person. It’s the same way with other races, such as the Thorians or the Januki. The Sauran method seems to be shoot first and then eat you, or make you a slave.”

  Mike just shook his head, looked at his alien friend and brought him up to date, about the Januki scout ship at Nellis.

  Jo seemed very excited about the prospect of getting a good look at the scout ship. “Mike, if we could see it and have Bambi run an analysis of how it functions, we may be able to make use of their technology. I know that the Saurans were concerned about it. So it must be something special.”

  Max looked doubtful, as he said, “If that thing is the one that went down in Roswell. It crashed over seventy years ago. Is it going to be any good to us now?”

  Jo replied, “Yes, absolutely. Technology that works is kept in use for as long as it continues to function. Rarely is a design significantly altered. Some of these ships may have been away from their home worlds for hundreds of years. As you humans would say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ There would be upgraded variations, of course. But, even if there has been a technological breakthrough, the older models will remain in service for as long as they are viable.”

  Bambi announced, Gentlemen, it’s time for the call.

  Make it, Bambi and put it on his TV screen.

  I have to; because he ripped the phone out of the wall, remember?

  They saw General Boltz sitting at his desk, with two other men, standing next to him, on either side.

  Boltz said, “Well, I see your punctual, Mr. Hurst.”

  Mike immediately detected an attitude change in the man and felt some relief at the implication.

  “Yes sir. Have you had a chance to verify my credentials, sir?”

  “Credentials? Is that what we’re calling the high-jacking of a government secret communications net now?”

  Mike remained silent and his face blank.

  General Boltz nodded and told him, “All right, Mr. Hurst, I’ve seen your movie and made a few calls. The President is being made aware of the existence of a peculiar vehicle, which came into our possession several years ago. What now?”

  “General Boltz, the alien you see next to me is a Thorian. We speak back and forth by way of a translation device, which is extremely advanced. He can understand you perfectly and you will be able to understand him as well. He knows a little about that vehicle, although not very much, I’m afraid.

  “The good news is that it belongs to a race, whom we think could become an ally for us, in the fight against the Saurans. The bad news is, my friend here can’t tell us how that thing works. But, we have a very advanced computer that might be able to shed some light on its abilities, if you’ll allow her to look it over.”

  Bambi told Mike, Sir, I’ve located the scout ship. It’s buried deep underground and has been torn apart. They’ve all but destroyed it, in an effort to find out what makes it tick and I’ll bet it was done many years ago, before they had a clue as to how not to fuck it up.

  General Boltz glared at him and said, “I’m not about to allow you or anything associated with you to know anything about it.”

  Mike nodded, still maintaining his poker face. “Sir, I wouldn’t expect you to, at this early point in our relationship. We know where the object is and we know it’s been disassembled, probably several years ago. It was done badly, to say the least. Still, once you have been given permission to release what you have found for our inspection, I believe we can improve your understanding of a few operational possibilities it has to offer. Your people will be included in our real time analysis and our computer will answer any questions your scientists may have.”

  Boltz leaned forward and told him, “Mr. Hurst, I was told you are a little reluctant to recognize any authority and that you don’t trust the US military. That’s a damn shame, because you, more than most people, should know that if the situation is as bad as you seem to think it is, then a man with your back ground isn’t prepared to deal with all of this.”

  Mike couldn’t contain a big smile, as he admitted, “General, you are absolutely right on all counts. I don’t trust the government to move quickly enough on this, because of the cronyism that always lingers around the power mongers on capital hill. It will slow down every program we need to build and we just don’t have the time to make sure that some friend of a friend of a major donor to Senator so and so, gets his pockets lined.

  “As for my qualifications to lead this cluster fuck…well, who in the hell is, General? Give me the name of the person who can do it and convince me that I should surrender complete control of the defense of our planet to that person. But, before you do, be sure that he or she is a person who will always have the welfare of all the people of Earth at heart, when they make a decision.”

  General Boltz was angry and Mike realized that was his constant state of existence. He sat there and to Mike’s surprise; he was obviously trying to think of someone he would trust to replace Mike.

  Finally, he said, “Mr. Hurst, I’ll think of someone, you can bet on it. But, for now, I guess I’m stuck with you. I’m under orders, which unlike you, I obey. I have been told to show you what we have, as long as you share what you find.”

  Mike hid his satisfaction, not wanting to anger the man any more than he already had. “General, as I said, we’ll do a real time exam of whatever you show us and we’ll speak out loud, so your people will hear our opinions and ideas at the same time as we conclude them. I’ve felt all along that cooperation is the only way we’re going to cut through he bullshit.”

  “Humph,” was Boltz’s only response.

  Boltz nodded to the man on his left and said, “This is Dr. Moshka, he is the lead physicist on the UFO. What did you call it? A Januki scout ship?”

  “Yes sir. That’s what our computer said it was.”

  “Dr. Moshka will show you tapes of what has been done as it was carefully disassembled. We have made some remarkable discoveries, over the years; and yet, it’s still an enigma in many ways.”

  Gen. Boltz raised his open hands and asked, “So, how in the hell do we send this to you?”

  Bambi told her team, I’ve got it, guys. I found some of it in an old computer and they have some of it on an old tape recording system. They’ll have to put the tape into a playing device, in order for me to see the rest of it.

  “General Boltz, Bambi has located some of your older videos, but you’ll need to put the tapes into a playing device and turn it on, for her to see it all.”

  “Who in the hell is Bambi?”

  “She’s our computer. After I was kidnapped and repaired, I gave her that name, just to have a name to call her. I know it seems foolish now, but I was in recovery. Now she won’t let me change it.”

  “Holy shit, Hurst, you’re piece of work.”

  “So I’ve been told, sir.”

  16mm film had been converted to digital and placed on the computer Bambi had taken over. Jo became very excited as he saw it. “Mike, see those tiny bumps sticking out all over it, they are a form of protective shielding, I’m certain of it. I heard a Sauran once say that these shields were impervious to most of the weaponry that had been used against them. The Saurans have nothing like it.”

  “That’s good news.”

  Dr. Moshka said, “We thought they had something to do with how they travel. But we’ve been unable to find out how they did it.”

  Jo told him, “Dr. Moshka, those little devices are used to protect the ship, as it travels through the folds, as the ship travels great interstellar distances. It also helps to protect the ship, as it moves around, within the globe of a solar system.”

  “What is a Globe of a solar system?”

  “As I’m sure you know, a solar system has its own gravity to be accounted for. We call it the gravitational globe of the solar system. One cannot fold space near a solar system, because of the peculiar shifting gravity pools around it. A ship must be far away from globes and large celestial bodies, in order to move extreme distances. It requires constant fine tuning, as one travels through the fold.

  “But, when traveling within the gravitational fields of a solar system, a different type of drive is used. It can move a ship quickly, faster than the speed of light, although that is very dangerous, because of unknown local gravitational pools. Once those pools are charted and constantly updated, then a Senior Pilot can maneuver safely, at great speeds, while making adjustments for the thickest of the pools.”

  Moshka asked, “Do you have any idea how that drive works?”

  “I’m afraid my knowledge of it is very limited. Bambi can be of greater assistance. Bambi, what can you tell us?”

  “Well, I’ve been concentrating on the weapons. That ship has little to protect it, but it does have a few items that I recognize as weapons, although I don’t know how they work.”

  On the screen, a red circle highlighted a series of short rods on each side of the ship. She told them, “The Senior Pilot of the Mother Ship looked at graphics of a scout ship many times. He was trying to analyze it. He told his subordinate that these were not plasma weapons. They were crudely designed weapons that fired hard bolts. I believe humans would call then rail guns. These can fire at a rate of two thousands rounds a minute. The small bolts have little effect, as individuals, but when several of them strike the same spot repeatedly, they are very effective. The have an estimated range of twenty thousand kilometers.”

  General Boltz cried out, “Holy shit, that’s over ten thousand miles.”

  Bambi corrected, “Exactly 12,427 miles, to be precise, General Boltz.”

  Jo said, “Remember, there is no air in space to restrict the flow of the projectile. However, it is relatively easy to dodge or deflect them, if you see the shot coming. All a good Pilot needs is a computer that is ordered to deal with it automatically.”

  Bambi told Mike, Sir, there is a viewing room in the secure area, below the facility, close to the remains of the scout ship. They call it The Junk Room. I suggest that Dr. Moshka and his staff assemble there and we can work on this together.

  Bambi, is this going to slow down our other projects, like upgrading all of the people we have on the Mother Ship at the moment.

  No sir. I can easily handle all of it at the same time and do a thousand of other tasks simultaneously. Should I include the scientists we have here now, as well. I’m sure they would love to be involved.

  No. They need to go through the upgrade first. That’s a lot to handle for anyone. Just make a record of everything we see. Once they’re out of the upgrade med unit and recovering, then you can bring them up to date. I’ll rely on your judgment as to when that is.

  He interrupted the questions that were flying around. “General, Bambi has suggested that the Doctor and his team assemble in The Junk Room. She can hold a conversation with far more of them that way and they can refer to specific parts and sections, which are stored there.”

  “Now how did you know about that?”

  “I’ve had Bambi looking around for the last few hours. It saves a lot of time. Sorry if I pissed you off, sir. It wasn’t intentional. As I said earlier, we need to move quickly, on a number of fronts, if we’re to make any real progress.”

  Boltz glared at him and complained, “Yes, you do piss me off. But, I have to admit you’re right about how to move quickly and you’re damn fortunate in that you don’t have to answer to anyone, like I do.”

  “General Boltz, ultimately I’ll have to answer to everyone on the planet and so will we all, if we let the bureaucracy fuck this up.”

  “All right Hurst. Dr. Moshka, get your team to The Junk Room.”

  Mike nodded and bid the gruff General adieu, saying, “General, I’ll see you in a few weeks. Any time you wish to chat, pick up any phone and dial 333. Bambi will probably answer and she can answer most questions you may have. If you want me, tell her and I’ll come on line immediately.”

  Ok Bambi, cut the line.

  Max waited a moment, and then said, “I wonder who he called? Probably Mike Hardesty.”

  Bambi told them, “No sir. He called Todd Pierpoint. I believe he is the only man in the administration who knows about the Januki scout ship.”

  Max was surprised. “I’ll be damned. He was the first one to volunteer to be upgraded.”

  Mike wasn’t so surprised. “Max, he understands that all of this is real and we need to get on the stick. And, he wants to have all of the mental goodies that come with being upgraded. The others are most likely still in denial. Let’s just hope they come around fast, because we can’t do this alone.”

  Chapter 10

  Bambi commed him, General, I have some good news.

  He responded, “Well thank God for that. I could use some good news. What is it?”

  “I’ve been analyzing the method I’ve been using to upgrade humans and I think I can make it faster and less painful. I noticed that humans who were in the best condition made the transition easier and quicker. If I begin the genetic youth element of the program, at the very beginning of the upgrade, these people can transition right into the full upgrade process without moving them physically. Because they will have already attained unusual strength, they will be able to handle the worst of it much better. Also, their recovery time will be quicker.”

  “That is great news, Bambi. I wish you had figured that out, before you drug me through the gates of hell.”

  “Yeah. I’ll always feel badly about that, sir. But, as they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

  Mike wasn’t in a humorous mood. “Well, try telling that to someone who is in the worst agony of his life and see if he thinks that cute.”

  “Sorry, boss.”

  “Yeah. Well, it is what it is. Let’s not waste another second talking about it. I want you to comm the staff, explain what you just told me, and tell them I want volunteers to begin the new process immediately.

  “Another thing, Bambi. Can this work while we’re on the way to earth? I mean can we put people in the upgrade med units and have then upgraded on the way there?”

  “Yes sir. The procedure won’t be affected by intersolar travel.”

  Changing subjects, he asked, “Have you had any luck with reprogramming the older beacons?”

  “I have delicately pressed them for some innocent pieces of information and in doing so, I’ve learned enough about their security that I believe I can make those alterations to their original instructions.”

  “So, do it. And tell me immediately if there’s a problem, like if they got off an alert.”

  “Yes sir.”

  There was a long pause, as Bambi waited for additional orders. When none were forthcoming, she softly asked, “General, have I done something wrong?”

  He seemed surprised. “No, I don’t think so. Why do you ask?”

  “Because you are so…solemn, as though some one died. If the others see you like this, I believe it will affect them in a negative way.”

  He took in a deep breath and let out a long sigh. “Bambi, I’m very worried. We are so far behind the Saurans and we know so little about what we’re doing out here. It’s quite possible that we’ll fail and that means the end of humanity.”

  Bambi didn’t respond for a few seconds, which was unusual for her. Finally she commed, You’re scared shitless, aren’t you?

  Yes. I guess I am. I’ve failed before, but even in failure, I never doubted that someone else would pick up the ball and finish the game. I’m it. I’m the guy. We’re preparing for a confrontation with the other team’s water boy and I don’t think we can beat him. How are we going to protect the entire solar system, once their varsity shows up?