Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles) Page 16
Sharz, turns to George, and, with what could pass as a smile, replies. “You're alive, so that means you did well. I actually think Regent Voknor likes you, George. You stated your message, then showed great respect by remaining silent while the Regent considered your words. Others have not been so quiet, or have made outrageous demands. Those that do this, do not fare as well.”
George can only wonder about what has transpired this day. Sharz takes George directly to his residence, where he finds that his wife is most distraught. She had heard rumors of a man being shot, and thought that it might be George. Other rumors swirled about of him being abducted by the aliens. After calming her down, he explains the day's events to her. As he does so, he realizes that in the eyes of many, he is now an alien sympathizer, or even worse, a traitor to the human race. They talk about their son Johnny, their options for him, and, indeed for them all.
That night, George sleeps fitfully, as he is concerned for the safety of his wife and son. One thought that crosses his mind is from his wife's recent advice. Failing to act is, by default an action, and though there are a lot of people talking, they are not taking action. George also ponders the possibility that, as with humanity, perhaps the Gamin are as diverse in opinion. Sharz practically said as much, and George is inclined to believe him. In a sudden shock, George realizes that he has assumed Sharz is male. With that thought, he wakes up, and does not fall back to sleep for a long time as he ponders Sharz’s motives in all this.
Location:
Far north of Pyongyang
North Korea
It is still dark when Hayato's team hears a distant humming sound; it gets closer. Suddenly the alien spacecraft becomes visible against the starry night. No lights shine from it at all, and its features are dark and ominous.
Hayato watches the massive spacecraft for a moment as it traverses the night sky. “Looks like it's headed toward China somewhere.” Without anything to reference against, it is impossible to truly gauge its size, but it is large enough to blot out the stars in its passing. “That thing is huge, though!”
Elsewhere in North Korea, soldiers look to their commanders for instructions. They in turn, look to their leaders for orders. The orders and list of instructions are most surprising, but are followed unwaveringly.
Shortly thereafter, Hayato gets a scrambled message, which he relays quietly. “Our orders are to get to the safe house in Beijing as quickly as possible, and await further instructions.”
Daitaro looks at all the gear they have acquired. “We should destroy this cache before we leave.”
Hayato considers this for a moment. “I would rather not draw any attention to this location. Just leave it.”
“At the very least we should booby trap it all.” Daitaro’s tone is not challenging, merely suggestive.
“I understand, and normally would agree, but I feel we should just leave it as it is, in case any curious civilians investigate. There is something strange going on. I suspect we have been successful in our mission.” Hayato ponders his orders and considers the implications of the alien spacecraft.
“Let's watch out for would-be heroes. I am sure there are plenty of soldiers out there wanting revenge. I want full radio silence while we head back to the border.” Hayato feels less safe now than at any time during this mission.
Abandoning the stolen vehicle with all the captured weapons and supplies, the four men quickly head for the Chinese border in their two utility vans. They leave swiftly and efficiently, with Hayato and Daitaro in one van, and Chokichi and Akira in the other.
As they depart, one airplane flies high overhead, then another. This development surprises and baffles Hayato. He grips the wheel tighter as he scans the road ahead with even more scrutiny.
Daitaro glances at his leader in surprise. He has never known him to be this apprehensive. “Well, we did assassinate their leader. Maybe the aliens have put a stop to it all?”
These same thoughts have been working their way through Hayato's mind as well. This would fit their recall orders. But, surrender or not, there has to be soldiers out there wanting some payback; he would, in their shoes.
The sun rises, adding light to the day, and allowing more aircraft to be seen overhead. They are flying in both directions now. The team is very curious about what has transpired. They still do not dare to activate any communication devices and they remain very alert, expecting an ambush from the North Korean military at any time.
A few hours go by before the vans come upon a row of trucks parked on the roadside. Hayato slows, while Daitaro readies his weapon. The eight trucks are all North Korean military, with emblems brazenly showing on their doors. As they pass, Daitaro watches for an ambush, but can see no soldiers. They drive down the road for five more minutes before stopping.
Hayato gets out cautiously and asks, “How's your fuel situation, Chokichi? Think we could top off from those trucks?”
“Well, my fuel is good. These vans have a decent capacity, but we should check the fuel in those trucks and take what we can.” Chokichi follows Hayato's thinking. “Who knows what we will run into in China, especially with that alien spaceship flying about?”
The four men again cautiously approach the parked trucks. Daitaro checks for traps, as that is what he would do. Finding none, he motions the others over.
Akira walks toward the last of the eight trucks, and then disappears behind it. He hollers out a few seconds later. “Hey guys! Come look at this!” His tone is one of disbelief.
The three men hurry to Akira, weapons at the ready. They all stop when they see what he is looking at. There, inside the cargo area of the last truck, hidden by a tarp is an arsenal of rifles mixed with uniforms. It is as if the soldiers removed their clothes, then tossed their weapons inside making a huge haphazard pile. Hayato looks up and down the road; his curiosity is aroused further. “What the hell is going on here? Let's get our fuel tanks topped off and get moving. I don't like this; it's all wrong.”
Chokichi watches behind them, as Akira and Daitaro get to work. They have no trouble testing the fuel in the trucks. It is good, so they are able to refill both vans. Once done, they continue the trek to the border with even more trepidation. This situation is incredibly unusual, and Hayato does not like mysteries, especially those that involve him or his men.
Location:
Manhattan Island
New York
George and his wife awaken early due to their wall screen; it has turned on. There is a news flash, and it is all about the end of the war in Korea. North Korea has surrendered unconditionally. Korea is going to be a united country once again. China offers to take any refugees from what was, only yesterday, known as North Korea. Reporters have scant knowledge about how this transpired. The North Korean leadership is nowhere to be found. China offers help, and is most willing to assist in any capacity. Newscasters show shipments of food heading to the impoverished North from China within hours of the official surrender. China also announces an open border policy with the new, united Korea. Plans are already underway to build numerous bridges and transport links for the expected boost in trade. Reporters make do with what they have, and, with China providing a wealth of information, they suck it all up like sponges.
George is dumbfounded by what he is seeing and hearing. “How did this happen?” He wonders aloud.
Lisa looks at him with her head cocked incredulously. “Really! You come home yesterday and tell me how you met their leader and asked him to stop the war. Here you are today saying you're not sure what happened. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth; you got what you wanted.”
“I have trouble believing the little I did and said made any difference. Actually, the Regent seemed annoyed at me, if anything.” George continues to watch the news before him, still stunned by the transpiring events.
Lisa's expression turns to a slight frown. “Who do you think turned on the wall screen?”
“I guess they did.” George motions generally at the wal
l screen, then upward. “Johnny is still sleeping.” He states as he shrugs his shoulders, unconcerned.
Various news reports are giving credit to the United Nations, others to America, and some even give credit to China. South Korea is set to convene a new government hearing as soon as possible to ratify this unified Korea. It is of no surprise that the Chinese are overseeing this meeting as a neutral party.
Lisa's tone turns to disgust. “I see you’re not getting any mention.” She sighs, “Politics!”
George smiles as he watches her. “Let's get ready for breakfast. It's almost that time, anyway.”
Lisa wakes Johnny while George watches the newscast with intense interest. He is unconcerned about not being mentioned; in fact, he is quite happy to stay out of the news. Who knows how people would feel about him meeting the alien leader aboard his flagship? The view of Earth was as awe inspiring as it was magnificent.
Location:
Dandong
China
Hayato's team arrives that night at the Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge, with the lights of the Chinese city of Dandong shining beyond it. They have little choice but to risk crossing, and are surprised that they have no trouble at all crossing the border. The North Korean guards are nonexistent, and, amazingly, the Chinese border guards do not even search the utility vans. They are stopped for less than five minutes, show their passports and papers, and are then let through. The Chinese guards talk among themselves about North Korea. They chat about the unconditional surrender, the new united Korea, and then something about a special directive from the top. Hayato's interest is piqued by this.
While waiting, they also cannot help but notice that many trains are running nonstop toward Korea. There are far more trains than expected. Every now and then, one heads back into China.
Hayato and his crew are desperate for information, but have the discipline to wait. Only when they are firmly inside China, do they turn on the vans’ radios to find the night time airwaves abuzz with the news of the visit to China by a Gamin representative. The first official face to face meeting between the Gamin and government officials will be in Beijing. The Gamin are going to provide education and training, just as has been offered to the Americans, the Russians, and the French. China welcomes the Gamin with open arms, and plans a huge celebration to commemorate the occasion.
In lesser news of the day, there is talk of China taking refugees from North Korea. China is set to send a delegation to Seoul to mediate the unification talks. There is no mention of representation from North Korea at all.
Hayato wonders aloud. “Is China going to trade away the old North Korean resources while assisting in creating a unified Korea? They would get to rape a country and look good doing it, all the while, placating the Gamin. What are the Chinese getting in exchange for abandoning such long-term allies?”
Daitaro remains silent for a short time, then says, “I am sure we will get to find out soon enough.”
The night finds the team travelling to a Beijing safe house, where they settle in and again await instructions. With the arduous and stress-filled mission complete, the four men are overcome with exhaustion, and sleep well.
Location:
Manhattan Island
New York
The mess hall buzzes with chatter about China, Korea, the aliens, and every topic in between. George, with his wife and son, makes his way to a quieter table to eat breakfast. As they eat, George sees many other teammates that have been working with him. Upon making eye contact, he gets a supportive nod, or sometimes a smile. Afterward, as he heads to the Gamin spaceship to suit up and work, he notices a lot more people lining up for accommodation, training, or work. This day, the entire team is assembled and eagerly ready to work. The group talks with a mixture of excitement and reservation. George tells them of the shooting, and of Sharz returning him to his quarters. He does not mention meeting the Gamin leader, Regent Voknor. He does, however, show them his bodysuit, which has a small dent in its helmet. They are joined shortly thereafter by six more people. They, too, are nervous and excited about the bodysuits and what is expected of them. It seems that still very few can work the suits without becoming ill. George recalls Sharz telling him that it was because of the way human brains worked, which really only makes him more curious about the way Gamin brains work instead. What can be so different about these two species’ brains?
The group, all wearing Gamin bodysuits, heads to the work area. The finishing touches are needed to merge the new rail line with the New York Metro. Throughout the day, the group works quickly and efficiently. George, however, ends up spending much of his day training the newer members of the group on how to use their suits. By the day's end, though, they are completely done. Looking at their handiwork, George and the others are quite pleased. Not only has the double rail link been completed almost all the way to the alien craft, but there are also interchanges here and there, allowing multiple trains to stop at once. Cargo can be unloaded quite quickly, thanks to a few additional innovations provided by the Gamin.
Thinking that they are all done, they head back to the spacecraft. As evening sets upon New York City, the group finds that the Gamin have more work lined up for them. More bridges and roads, to replace those damaged or lost, must be constructed. A few of the suit operators, however, are given a new task. George, and a half dozen others are met by a group of Gamin. Getting out of their suits, they watch as the Gamin remove a large component from the back of each suit, and affix a new one. George smiles as he realizes how slow he has been; the suits are modular, and different modules allow for different functions. Suiting up again, the group spends the last part of their day learning the new functions and features.
The next few days, George and this group make a strange kind of armor. Massive armor plates are needed to replace those damaged on the ships. George has been paying a lot of attention to the details on his display, and, if these readings are correct, then the ships’ armor has a higher density than any material ever conceived of by mankind. Made from multiple layers of various super dense materials, the ships’ armor is much more complicated than it first appears.
Trains start to arrive, heavily laden with various ores and minerals. These are unloaded, creating massive stockpiles. The same ground vehicles from the day of the landing reappear. Their dual, inward curved blades direct material inside the vehicle. George rightfully assumes that this material is absorbed and converted into base elements. The upcoming days will see these trains arriving with greater frequency. The number of smaller craft that fly to and from the parked behemoth increases slightly, but where they go or what they are transporting, is anybody's guess.
Chapter Eight - Deals with the Devil
Location:
Beijing International Airport
China
The Gamin spacecraft comes in low and with a flair unseen in any other landing thus far. Having a relatively slender nose section that widens to almost one mile at its midsection, and stretching to two miles long, this spacecraft can be spotted long before it can be heard. The craft appears to be too close when it starts to bank and circle around Beijing's International Airport. The awaiting dignitaries, along with the many citizens watching, are awed by the spectacle. As the mighty spacecraft approaches, its dented and scorched armor plates become visible. The obvious damage causes many to be even further awed by the encircling behemoth. Some cover their mouths in surprise, while others just stare in bewilderment. Banking even further over, the craft reveals its upper hull area, which is encased in even more dented and scorched armor plates. The spacecraft tightens its circle as the armor plates on the top side and flanks retract, revealing a multitude of windows. Based on the windows alone, this craft is easily fifty, or more, stories tall. It starts to level off, and lowers massive landing struts as it comes in to land. Onlookers hold their breath as the craft comes in very low over Terminal Three. The monitoring tower at the end of the building seems about to be crushed as it disappears into t
he shadows. The touchdown sends small clouds of dust into the air, as the landing struts find purchase on multiple runways of Beijing's International Airport. As the dust clears, onlookers can see that the tower is safe, scant meters from the rear of the visitors’ spacecraft. The humming diminishes, and then ceases, as the multiple landing struts bear the load above them. A ramp lowers from underneath the craft and comes to rest on the concrete. The landing is so precise that nothing appears to be damaged, not even a fuel truck that was left out.
A smaller flying craft skims down the ramp. At about sixty feet wide, and two hundred thirty feet long, this small craft has stubby wings and a narrow nose. It, too, hums and floats its way to the awaiting dignitaries. The craft settles down on its own smaller landing gear.
A metallic voice comes from within as a ramp opens, “Prepare to meet your planet’s representative of the Gamin.”
Three aliens strut down the ramp. They are easily six and a half feet tall, and have green skin and long snouts filled with teeth. One has a robe, with many decorative emblems on it, draped over his shoulders. The other two members of the party are obviously armed guards, with holsters holding some kind of weapon. These two do not have robes, but instead, wear some sort of combat suit that covers much of their bodies. The trio stops before the gathering of Chinese officials.
“We meet you in peace.” The robe-clad Gamin states. “May our encounter prove beneficial and prosperous for all.”
The Chinese dignitaries all bow; one steps forward and bows again and responds. “I, the Premier, welcome you to China. We offer gifts of fresh food.”