The old General cast a glance at Mike, as he asked, “How about you?”

  “Same. To tell you the truth, I’m a little embarrassed by the ease of use, once you get the hang of it. But, I’ve got to agree with Wayne. The size of what is available to me is daunting. Bambi tells me that it will get easier for everyone, as they work on it. We need to keep that in mind, as the newbies come on board. We have to insist that they work with their new mental abilities.”

  He shoved a spaghetti blob into his mouth and became serious.

  “Gentlemen, we are going to have to trust the Americans almost completely. And we’re going to tell them that. I think we’ll bring them two fabricators, one small and one large. They need to see for themselves what some of this remarkable technology can do. Of course it will only manufacture what we’ve already programmed it for. There’s no sense in having it make solid gold ID badges for congressmen.”

  “We’ll ask them to devote the fabricators use to building items that will aid in the defense of the solar system. The idea of defending just the planet is foolish. Hell, if we can’t defend the solar system, then the Earth doesn’t stand a chance.”

  Max agreed immediately. “I think that’s the only way we can hope to create a viable chance at victory. If we can make the enemy spread his forces throughout the solar system, he will be weaker everywhere. Even his strong points will be weaker, as well.”

  Wayne, mumbled, “Yeah, he’ll be trembling in his boots. And don’t forget, we’ll be spread out too.”

  Mike scolded him. “You can knock that shit off right now, Wayne. As leaders we have to present a united front to the men. That front has to seem solid and confident and you know it. So buck up, sonny boy. Win, or lose, we go after this as though victory is inevitable, because there won’t be any draw in this fight. It’s all or nothing for the human race.”

  “I know. I just wish you wouldn’t give me a speech every time I voice my doubts. If I can’t reveal my concerns in private with my commanding officer then who can I vent them to?”

  Max demonstrated his wisdom, born from years of experience as a senior commander. “He’s right, Mike. We have to allow our immediate staff the luxury of being honest about their worries. If we shut them down, then we’re going to miss some flaw in a plan or within our ranks. We don’t want to engage the enemy without knowing the negative possibilities as well as positive. Damn it, Sergeant Hurst, you know that.”

  Mike smiled and said, “You right, Max. And it’s Sergeant First Class Hurst. I worked damn hard to make E-7.”

  “Bambi, are you taking notes?”

  “Yes sir. Send one small and one large fabricator to Earth on the next trip.

  “By the way, Sir. I have those videos for the newbies ready to go. We can begin waking them any time you want.”

  “Great! Start right now and notify Mary, Al and Jo that we’ll be along shortly.”

  He turned to the other two men and said, “We have a major problem in intelligence. We ain’t got none.”

  Max grinned, but it was not a happy grin. “True enough. We talk about defending Earth and the solar system, but we have no idea what kind of weapons the Saurans will bring, or what sort of weapons would be effective against their ships.”

  Wayne offered some hope to them. “That’s not entirely true, sir. Mary and I were discussing this last night and we think it is reasonable to assume the Saurans are using the same sort of drive this ship uses. They are almost certainly more powerful and agile, but maybe Bambi could shed some light on how they work and these scientists could review the design for it and come up with a way to counter its performance.

  “As for any weapons they might have, you can bet they have at least something along the lines of the plasma guns we’ve been toying with.”

  Bambi jumped in. “I am beginning a search of my files for any reference to engines other than the type on this vessel. If there were any such info, it would indicate that the Saurans use a different drive for warships. If not, then it is reasonable to make the assumption Colonel Hurst has suggested.

  “Also, as I have indicated before, I do not possess a complete set of plans for the engines on board, just a set of maintenance guidelines, although they are extensive and precise. That may help in determining a greater potential from larger engines, or variations of them. I suppose there is even the possibility of learning enough from the guidelines to build a prototype. If it works, we may be able to fabricate our own spaceships.”

  Everyone smiled and Mike gushed, “Now you talking.”

  In a very mechanical voice, Bambi responded, “Yes sir, I was talking.”

  “Don’t pull that dumb computer shit on me now, Bambi.”

  Contritely she answered, “OK.”

  Other than Mary, Al and Jo, no one else had been to sickbay since their return to the Mother Ship. So when the three men walked down to that area, they were amazed to see that it had undergone extensive alterations. Bambi and her robots had been busy. There were now large recovery wards, spreading out from the main sickbay, holding twenty beds each, much like a hospital’s wings.

  Each recovery room was playing a video to the people who were just getting used to their repaired and slightly younger bodies. Most of them watched with rapt attention, as Mary’s face explained the new facts of life, regarding what had been done for them.

  They found her in one room, speaking with a few men and women, who were obviously the scientists they had kidnapped. She was apologizing for the unfortunate way in which they had been captured and assured them they were safe and would have the option of returning home or sticking around for further improvements to their bodies and minds.

  Mike watched from the sidelines, as Mary answered the anticipated questions, some of which were quite hostile. Finally, a woman noticed him, angrily pointed his way and shocked him by asking, “Is that the son-of-a-bitch who runs this cluster fuck. I want to talk with him.”

  Saving Mary the necessity of a response, he strolled into the room and announced, “Mike Hurst, ma’am, how can I help you.”

  “What gives you the right to kidnap us? Who the hell do you think you are? When we report this, you’re going to be in real trouble.”

  Several of the scientists looked concerned at the woman’s brazen assault on Mike.

  Bambi, open a screen and show these people where we are.

  When one entire wall lit up and the view of outer space appeared, there were oohs and aaws from most of them.

  After ten or fifteen seconds, the lady dove right back at Mike. “Listen buster, tricks like this might fool the average person, but most of us aren’t so easily hornswaggled.”

  Bambi, take the gravity down to one tenth of Earth, but just in this ward.

  People began to yell and curse, as some of them lost there balance and went down to the deck, although not hard.

  He stared at the lady, who looked a little more concerned, as she said, “All right; that’s a nice trick and I admit I’m interested as to how you did that.”

  Mike gave her his best smile and told her, “Ma’am, I have no idea. I’m a military guy, not physicist.”

  Then he slowly walked toward her, as he extended his hand. “I’m Mike Hurst, Ma’am. May I have the pleasure of knowing to whom I am speaking?”

  The woman seemed thrown off by his weak attempt at charm, but not for long. She straightened her back, threw her chest out and defiantly told him, “I am Dr. Elizabeth Fulwiler and I’m not about to shake the hand of the man responsible for kidnapping us.”

  “Dr. Fulwiler, did you pay any attention at all to the video?”

  “I’m not going to be brain washed by you and your fancy equipment, Mr. Hurst.”

  Mary corrected the woman. “Actually Doctor, it’s General Hurst.”

  The woman gave Mary an angry glare and told her, “Listen sweetie, I’m not impressed with titles, just results. And this guy hasn’t done anything to impress me.”

  Mike had always had a short temper, especially where arrogant type A personalities were concerned.

  “Mary, put this woman in stasis and ship her back to the planet. She’s to damn full of herself to be of any use to the people of Earth.”

  He turned around and began to leave. Mary ran after him, saying, “Mike, she’s one of the most promising scientists of the group. We really need her. She’s a brilliant physicist.”

  He spun on Mary and whispered loudly, “Oh no we don’t need her. I’ve seen far too many extremely bright Generals who fucked up every mission they were involved with, because they were more interested having people kiss their ass than getting the job done. I’ll put up with a lot, but not someone who puts her sense of grandeur above the lives of the human race.”

  No one missed his words, although he had seemed to whisper them. He stormed out, leaving the newbies with their mouths agape.

  As he angrily marched down the passageway, Mary commed him. The woman was frightened, Mike. Some people react to that with anger. Please allow me to address the situation with her, once she’s calmed down. I’m convinced that once she gets a good grasp of the truth, she’ll have a different attitude.

  All right, Major Hurst. It’s your call. Salvage her if you can, but don’t waste a lot of time on her. Some people just aren’t going to be a good fit for us.

  Thank you, sir.

  He just couldn’t believe that woman had cranked up his blood pressure so quickly. No one had been able to bring him to a boil that quickly, since Sherry passed away. Dr. Fulwiler had come at him with such vitriol. It was very much like dealing with his late wife, when she was angry. Fortunately, that was a rare occurrence. Maybe that’s why he reacted the way he did. The woman certainly was a spitfire.

  He made his way into the next room, which was filled with veterans. Mike was surprised to see a few of them openly crying. Wayne had gone ahead of him and was there trying to comfort them. It didn’t take long for Mike to realize that those men were weeping with joy, at regaining limbs they had not had for decades.

  It touched him, because he had had a similar emotional reaction, when he first experienced true feeling in his long lost legs, although he hadn’t cried. He almost did now though, as he watched the men caressing legs and arms that had been lost so long ago. Also, they had a little of their youth back and they now had the prospect of a life they had been denied when they were young.

  Mike regretted that they must be told the real reason they were here and that they could lose their lives all over again. Actually that wasn’t entirely true. If they were wounded and disfigured once more, the med units would repair their broken bodies and they could be put back in harms way over and over again.

  When he thought of it that way, it sounded awful. They would need to have some sort of time off guarantee for a wounded warrior. And, if they had enough recruits, which he doubted would happen anytime soon, those wounded men should have the option of retiring and not having to face the fickle twist of fate once again.

  He rather imagined Max would fight him on that. He could almost hear the man demanding that those warriors be available for the battles that might follow, if they survived the first one. Their combat experience would be invaluable. Max was ruthless like that. He had seen it first hand in Iraq.

  Mike thought a prayer. “Oh Lord please don’t ever put me in a position where I have to ask these men to make too many sacrifices. Surely we can do what must be done without tearing apart the lives and hearts of these fine soldiers, more than twice. They have paid their full measure the first time and I shall ask them to do it a second time…but no more than that, I pray.”

  He spent a lot of time in that room, back slapping the old soldiers, congratulating them on their new bodies. Many of them were suspicious and wanted to know what price they had to pay for this privilege. Like any veteran, they knew that good fortune came with a price tag.

  Wayne stood on a chair, drawing everyone’s attention. “Gentlemen, we have avoided answering many of your questions, because the two of us have been through the same process that you have been through. We know it takes a while to adjust to the reality of what has happened here. Rather than get lost in a mishmash of questions, we’ve prepared a video, which will explain what’s going on.

  “We have an offer for you to consider. If you refuse, you can continue with your lives in your new body. But remember, you were chosen for a reason and there is no higher calling than to save your fellow man, or in this case, the entire human race. So, watch the video and then we’ll have a Q&A.”

  Mary commed him. General, Dr. Fulwiler has been selected as the spokes person for the scientists. I think her harsh exchange with you helped the others to recognize her as the alpha dog in the pack. She has requested a private meeting with General Hurst. She seems contrite to me, sir. I think it would be helpful to the situation, if you’d meet with her.

  He sighed. He didn’t want to see the woman again. But, he had to respect the judgment of his officer, especially when she was family.

  OK. Bring her to the conference room. I’ll have coffee and some food waiting for her. Be sure to see that the others receive food and drink as well.

  Yes sir and thank you.

  Ten minutes later, Mary walked into the conference room, with Dr. Fulwiler on her heels. Mike stood up and offered her his hand saying, “Doctor, I apologize for being so abrupt with you earlier. I was wrong to be so rude.”

  She smiled and shook his hand. “General, no one enjoys being spoken to in that manner, but I suppose you had to say something to get me to pay attention.”

  Mike had deliberately chosen the conference room, instead of his office, so that they could converse in an atmosphere of equality. Sitting behind his desk might have seemed as though he was flaunting his alleged superiority.

  He offered her a chair next to him and said, “Ma’am, I’m afraid I’ve had a habit of shooting my mouth off, without considering other people’s feelings. It’s a flaw I don’t seem to be able to correct. I regret it, but that’s just how I am.”

  As she sat down, she looked him straight in the eye and said, “I, too, have that flaw. So we were both in the wrong. If we’re going to be working together, we’d better learn how to communicate without screaming, or one of us is going to be injured.”

  He chuckled as he nodded and asked, “Dr. Fulwiler, would you like some coffee. We’ve finally been able to have the food replicator get it right, and we have cream and sugar, if you’d like.”

  With a hesitant smile, she told him, “Cream and sugar, please, although I really shouldn’t because I’m a diabetic. But I really feel a need for the coffee and I want to enjoy it, not just use it as a salve for my fatigue.”

  A hole opened in the table and a tray with a pitcher of coffee appeared, along with the additions she had requested. She seemed impressed by that, but kept her thoughts to herself. He poured a cup for them both, cream and sugar for her, black for him.

  Then he explained a lovely new reality to her.

  “Well then, Doctor, you’ll be glad to know that you no longer have diabetes. The med units have cleared that sort of ailment out of everyone’s systems, along with a variety of other infirmities, such as cancer and a host of neurological diseases. I’m not a medical doctor, so I don’t know the details, but I can have them sent to you later, if you wish.”

  He added, “Oh, and in case you’re wondering, we aren’t going to rescind any of the medical improvements we’ve made for any of you. If you decide to remain with us and to help us find a way to defend the Earth, you will be upgraded to necessary standards for survival out here; otherwise, we’ll transport you and your new body back to Earth.

  “However, we will insist that you keep quiet about our existence. The Earth will learn about what’s going on out here too soon as it is. But, if we can hold off on that for a while, we might be able to build a core organization, which would point us toward an adequate defense of our solar system.”

  She raised an eyebrow and said half jokingly, “I suppose we would have that portion of our minds erased?”

  He knew that Mary would not have even hinted at that. So, how in the hell had this woman come to this conclusion?

  She’d been watching him and suddenly, she looked surprised. “Oh my God, you would do that. I can tell by the look on your face. That med unit thing can alter our brains.”

  She became angry. “If that damn med unit can change our minds then why ask for our help. Why not just make us believe that we want to work for you. We’d be like automatons, or more like slaves, really.”

  “Doctor, you just answered your own question. You would be like slaves and we won’t do that to anyone. The people selected to work with us out here must know the truth of the danger that the human race is facing. It is our hope that most of you will see the bigger picture and realize that we’re all in the same sinking boat. We desperately need people, such as yourself, to pitch in and help us remain afloat, as we prepare for a calamity that could mean the end of human existence.”

  She was quite taken back by his blunt honesty. Dr. Fulwiler hung her head, in thought, as she pondered the enormity of what he had said. It was a lot to take in, even more so for a physicist, because she had a greater understanding of what must be involved.

  Finally, she raised her head, gazed deeply into his eyes and said, “Well shit. If we’re going to be working together, then you might as well call me Bet. I’ll be damned if I’m going to kiss your ass and call you General every time I raise my hand and ask for permission to take a piss.”

  Mike roared with laughter. Once it subsided, he told her, “Please, Bet, by all means call me Mike. Have you always had such a foul mouth?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. It comes from a lifetime of working in a man’s world. As I rose up the ladder of academic success, I faced a lot of male egos. So, when they pushed, I pushed back harder.

  “A lot of women achieve success by playing nice and slowly worming their way up the winding stairway of the university system, or within the halls of government. They waste half of their lives waiting for a door to open, giving them the chance to show what they can do. The problem with that approach is men who are intimidated by the thought of a woman’s creativity are the very people who evaluate those ideas.